Mandatory after-school use of step tracker apps improves physical activity, body composition and fitness of adolescents

Abstract

Previous scientific research on the use of mobile applications to increase physical activity level and improve health among adolescents does not provide conclusive results, one of the main reasons being the lack of adherence to the intervention after the first weeks. For this reason, the main objectives of the research were to determine the changes produced by a compulsory ten-week period of after-school intervention with mobile step-tracking applications on adolescents’ health; and the final objective to compare the benefits obtained by each of the mobile applications. To meet the objectives, a longitudinal study with non-probability convenience sampling was proposed. The sample consisted of 400 adolescents from two public compulsory secondary schools in the Region of Murcia, Spain, whose body composition, level of physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and physical fitness were measured. The SPSS statistical software was used for statistical analysis. The results showed that adolescents in the experimental group showed a higher level of physical activity and better body composition and physical fitness variables after the intervention compared to the control group, with differences between the different applications used. In conclusion, this research shows the usefulness of mobile applications if they are used in a compulsory way after school hours. The relevance of these results for policymakers lies in the fact that they provide statistical data on the usefulness of mobile applications as an educational resource, being an option to make up for the lack of sufficient physical education teaching hours to meet global physical activity recommendations.

Effectiveness of mHealth App–Based Interventions for Increasing Physical Activity and Improving Physical Fitness in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…As shown in Table 1 , the included studies have the following basic characteristics. The age of the participants varied from 3 to 18 years with 5 (18%) of the 28 studies involving preschool children [ 26 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 ], 8 (29%) studies involving children [ 28 - 31 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 51 ], and 15 (53%) studies involving adolescents [ 20 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 38 - 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 52 , 53 ]. The objectives of the studies differed, and the selection criteria for the target population varied inconsistently.…”

“…Most studies (16/28, 57%) focused on healthy children and adolescents; however, of the 28 studies, 9 (32%) included participants with overweight and those with obesity [ 29 - 31 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 43 , 45 , 52 ], 2 (7%) involved children with cancer [ 34 , 53 ], and 1 (4%) enrolled youth with congenital heart disease [ 40 ]. Of the 28 studies, 8 (29%) were conducted in Asia [ 31 , 36 , 37 , 39 - 41 , 44 , 45 ], while the remaining studies were performed in Oceania (7/28, 25%) [ 29 , 30 , 35 , 38 , 46 , 50 , 53 ], North America (5/28, 18%) [ 28 , 33 , 34 , 43 , 51 ], and Europe (8/28, 29%) [ 20 , 26 , 32 , 42 , 47 - 49 , 52 ].…”

“…This review encompassed 28 studies that used 14 different mHealth apps. These included 9 commercial apps [ 20 , 31 - 33 , 35 , 38 , 41 , 47 , 49 ] and 14 research apps [ 28 - 30 , 39 , 40 , 42 - 46 , 48 , 51 - 53 ], and 5 mHealth apps did not provide the corresponding information [ 26 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 50 ]. The type of intervention used in 15 studies was stand-alone apps [ 20 , 26 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 41 , 43 - 47 , 49 - 51 ], and 13 studies used concerted intervention [ 29 - 31 , 34 - 39 , 42 , 48 , 52 , 53 ].…”

“…These included 9 commercial apps [ 20 , 31 - 33 , 35 , 38 , 41 , 47 , 49 ] and 14 research apps [ 28 - 30 , 39 , 40 , 42 - 46 , 48 , 51 - 53 ], and 5 mHealth apps did not provide the corresponding information [ 26 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 50 ]. The type of intervention used in 15 studies was stand-alone apps [ 20 , 26 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 41 , 43 - 47 , 49 - 51 ], and 13 studies used concerted intervention [ 29 - 31 , 34 - 39 , 42 , 48 , 52 , 53 ]. Participant engagement with the intervention was mentioned in 28 studies, 8 studies focused on parent-centered [ 26 , 31 , 36 , 37 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 ], the remaining studies were child centered.…”

“…The methods for random sequence generation were adequately reported in 28 studies, and 14 (50%) of the 28 studies described allocation concealment protocols [ 20 , 26 , 29 , 31 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 43 , 46 , 48 , 50 - 53 ]. Of the 28 studies, blinding of participants and personnel was unclear in 17 studies [ 20 , 28 - 33 , 38 - 41 , 43 - 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 ], high risk of bias was identified in 7 (25%) studies [ 26 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 50 , 52 , 53 ], and blinding of outcome assessment was unclear in 18 (64%) studies [ 18 , 28 - 34 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 47 - 51 , 53 ]. Four studies provided data regarding subjects lost to follow-up [ 30 - 32 , 34 ], while one study had unclear information on this aspect [ 51 ].…”