Can Mobile Apps Motivate Fitness Tracking? A Study of Technological Affordances and Workout Behaviors

Molina, María de Miguel; Sundar, S. Shyam

doi:10.1080/10410236.2018.1536961

Cited by 51 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In this way, they could already engage more in physical activities during their selection and persisting with the chosen activity being made easier. Consequently, this will affect agency, which is described in the literature as an important intrinsic motivator for physical activity [ 97 , 98 ]. An interesting platform that takes several of these aspects into account is Gympass, which focuses on on-demand workouts to fit your schedule and monthly memberships [ 99 ].…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Activity during the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Reliance on Digital Technologies, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and the Impact of Affect

Symons

Cunha

Poels

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The measures to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have been concentrated on inviting people to stay at home. This has reduced opportunities to exercise while also shedding some light on the importance of physical health. Based on an online survey, this paper investigated physical activity behaviours of a Belgians sample (n = 427) during the lockdown period between the end of May 2020 and the beginning of June 2020 and found that, during this period, the gap between sufficiently and insufficiently active individuals widened even more. This paper analysed important moderators of physical activity behaviours, such as barriers and benefits to exercise, digital support used to exercise, and individuals’ emotional well-being. Descriptive analysis and analyses of variance indicated that, generally, individuals significantly increased their engagement in exercise, especially light- and moderate-intensity activities, mostly accepted the listed benefits but refused the listed barriers, increased their engagement in digital support and did not score high on any affective measures. A comparison between sufficiently active and insufficiently active individuals during the lockdown showed that the former engaged even more in physical activity, whereas the latter exercised equally (i.e., not enough) or even less compared to before the lockdown. By means of a logistic regression, five key factors of belonging to the sufficiently active group were revealed and discussed. Practical implications for government and policies are reviewed.

show abstract

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical Activity during the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Reliance on Digital Technologies, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and the Impact of Affect

Symons

Cunha

Poels

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most recently, Bromilow et al [ 14 ] surveyed exercise professionals in Australia to examine smartphone use in practice, concluding that smartphone use is highly prevalent in sport and exercise settings, but this is typically for tracking variables. Tracking is a term consistent in the sport and exercise literature [ 15 ], which refers to apps and software available to log training information. This can include, for example, running distance, resistance exercise repetitions, and heart rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smartphone and Tablet Software Apps to Collect Data in Sport and Exercise Settings: Cross-sectional International Survey

Shaw¹,

Satchell²,

Thompson³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Advances in smartphone technology have facilitated an increase in the number of commercially available smartphone and tablet apps that enable the collection of physiological and biomechanical variables typically monitored in sport and exercise settings. Currently, it is not fully understood whether individuals collect data using mobile devices and tablets, independent of additional hardware, in their practice. Objective This study aims to explore the use of smartphone and tablet software apps to collect data by individuals working in various sport and exercise settings, such as sports coaching, strength and conditioning, and personal training. Methods A total of 335 practitioners completed an electronic questionnaire that surveyed their current training practices, with a focus on 2 areas: type of data collection and perceptions of reliability and validity regarding app use. An 18-item questionnaire, using a 5-point Likert scale, evaluated the perception of app use. Results A total of 204 respondents reported using apps to directly collect data, with most of them (196/335, 58.5%) collecting biomechanical data, and 41.2% (138/335) respondents reported using at least one evidence-based app. A binomial general linear model determined that evidence accessibility (β=.35, 95% CI 0.04-0.67; P=.03) was significantly related to evidence-based app use. Age (β=−.03, 95% CI −0.06 to 0.00; P=.03) had a significant negative effect on evidence-based app use. Conclusions This study demonstrates that practitioners show a greater preference for using smartphones and tablet devices to collect biomechanical data such as sprint velocity and jump performance variables. When it is easier to access information on the quality of apps, practitioners are more likely to use evidence-based apps. App developers should seek independent research to validate their apps. In addition, app developers should seek to provide clear signposting to the scientific support of their software in alternative ways.

show abstract

“…Exclusion criteria included: (1) studies that used mobile phones as research tools, for medical data collection, or as translation tools (e.g., video remote interpreting, Google Translate); (2) studies that included Latinx participants as a subset of a diverse study sample; and (3) systematic reviews and study protocols. Multiple publications from the same study were only included if the article reported a unique process or outcome.…”

Section: Inclusion and Exclusion Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such services can include, but are not limited to, health monitoring, disease recording/reporting, and the dissemination of information related to healthy behaviors. Emergent health communication research examines how the use of mHealth applications is associated with behavioral change related to fitness [2,3], diabetes [4], depression [5], and sleep [6] among other health outcomes. In a systematic review of mHealth app research, Chib and Lin [7] found scant explanatory evidence of how mHealth effects are actually achieved, and a greater emphasis on accessibility rather than individual-level health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Culturally Tailored mHealth: A Scoping Review of Mobile Health Interventions in Latinx Communities

González

Early

Gordon-Dseagu

et al. 2021

J Immigrant Minority Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This scoping review of mHealth research focuses on intervention studies that utilize mobile technologies to promote behavior change and improve health outcomes in U.S. Latinx communities. 342 mHealth articles were reviewed using PRIMSA protocols; most did not include a majority Latinx study population or did not report on an intervention. The final sample resulted in 23 articles published between 2012 and 2020. Reviewed interventions focused on conditions such as: diabetes, depression, substance abuse, obesity, hypertension, maternal health, and farmworker safety. About one-third of mHealth interventions included mobile applications, the rest were limited to texting programs. Text message reminders can help improve medication adherence and care access, especially when coupled with support from community health workers. Bi-directional text message interventions with feedback loops and personalized treatment options can build user agency. Additionally, multimodal applications that combine texting with self-guided interactive content show promise for culturally tailored mHealth.

show abstract

Can Mobile Apps Motivate Fitness Tracking? A Study of Technological Affordances and Workout Behaviors

Cited by 51 publications

References 27 publications

Physical Activity during the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Reliance on Digital Technologies, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and the Impact of Affect

Physical Activity during the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Investigating the Reliance on Digital Technologies, Perceived Benefits, Barriers and the Impact of Affect

Smartphone and Tablet Software Apps to Collect Data in Sport and Exercise Settings: Cross-sectional International Survey

Promoting Culturally Tailored mHealth: A Scoping Review of Mobile Health Interventions in Latinx Communities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About