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The impact of mobile apps on the level of physical activity in adolescent girls during weekends
Author
Seah, Carol Ming Li
Supervisor
Koh, Koon Teck
Abstract
Background: Smartphones are omnipresent and offer real-time information on the go. Predominantly, adolescent girls were found to be engaged in levels of physical activity (PA) below the recommended levels of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity daily, and especially during weekends. Lack of sufficient PA can lead to a risk of contracting non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This exploratory study investigates the impact of mobile apps (MapMyFitness and Health/Samsung Health/Pacer Step Counter/Pedometer and Weight Loss Coach) to promote and increase the PA level of adolescent girls during weekends, the perceived benefits and challenges of using the mobile apps and the recommendations.
Methods: 36 adolescent girls aged 15 years (Mage = 14.9; SD = 0.30) participated in the study that spanned 4-weekends. A mixed-method design was used to garner a holistic perspective on the effectiveness of mobile apps. Participants completed the Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) survey. PA level indicators such as mean metabolic equivalent (MET) score, blocks of moderate-tovigorous PA (MVPA), vigorous PA (VPA) and step count were analysed quantitatively with SPSS software version 24 (2x2 related factorial analysis of variance group). To comprehend the quantitative results, focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted for eight participants based on their mean MET score (N = 3 High MET, N = 5 Low MET).
Results: Although there was a general decrease in the level of PA among all the participants during the weekends, the experimental group experienced a lesser decrease than the control group. There was significant difference in the MET score and step count (p < .05). The qualitative results revealed that perceived benefits of using the mobile apps such as motivation, self-monitoring, goal-setting and sense of autonomy helped prevent the decrease in PA to a large extent while perceived challenges such as being negative about apps, cumbersome and confusing app features, annoyance and lack of privacy discouraged participants from using the apps. Recommendations such as allowing users to customise their app account, simplify app for use, include reward systems and fitness videos were suggested.
Conclusion: Adolescent girls consistently engage in less PA during weekends. To ameliorate the situation, mobile apps have the potential to promote an increase in PA level but require careful selection of mobile app functions to motivate adolescent girls. Suggestions to improve the existing intervention and future recommendations will be discussed.
Methods: 36 adolescent girls aged 15 years (Mage = 14.9; SD = 0.30) participated in the study that spanned 4-weekends. A mixed-method design was used to garner a holistic perspective on the effectiveness of mobile apps. Participants completed the Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR) survey. PA level indicators such as mean metabolic equivalent (MET) score, blocks of moderate-tovigorous PA (MVPA), vigorous PA (VPA) and step count were analysed quantitatively with SPSS software version 24 (2x2 related factorial analysis of variance group). To comprehend the quantitative results, focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted for eight participants based on their mean MET score (N = 3 High MET, N = 5 Low MET).
Results: Although there was a general decrease in the level of PA among all the participants during the weekends, the experimental group experienced a lesser decrease than the control group. There was significant difference in the MET score and step count (p < .05). The qualitative results revealed that perceived benefits of using the mobile apps such as motivation, self-monitoring, goal-setting and sense of autonomy helped prevent the decrease in PA to a large extent while perceived challenges such as being negative about apps, cumbersome and confusing app features, annoyance and lack of privacy discouraged participants from using the apps. Recommendations such as allowing users to customise their app account, simplify app for use, include reward systems and fitness videos were suggested.
Conclusion: Adolescent girls consistently engage in less PA during weekends. To ameliorate the situation, mobile apps have the potential to promote an increase in PA level but require careful selection of mobile app functions to motivate adolescent girls. Suggestions to improve the existing intervention and future recommendations will be discussed.
Date Issued
2018
Call Number
GV439 Sea