The influence of online physical activity interventions on children and young people’s engagement with physical activity: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Most children and young people (CYP) worldwide are classified as inactive because they fail to meet the World Health Organisation recommendations for physical activity. Online interventions that use devices like exergames, smartphones, social media, and wearables have the potential to improve physical activity engagement because of their extensive reach and opportunities for learning and use across contexts. Purpose: The objectives of this systematic review were to update the evidence-base on online physical activity interventions for CYP since 2015, analyse the outcomes associated with online interventions across physical, cognitive, social and affective domains, and assess the mechanisms (i.e. pedagogical strategies) of online interventions that resulted in outcomes related to physical activity. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted across 4 databases (MEDLINE, PudMed, EBSCO and EMBASE) using key words related to online interventions, physical activity and CYP. The inclusion criteria were: CYP aged 5-18 years in the general population; use of an online-based medium to deliver an intervention related to physical activity; outcomes related to changes to physical activity, and in physical, cognitive, social and affective domains; and quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. A modified version of the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs was used to assess study quality. A mixed methods approach was used to analyse and synthesise all evidence. Results: 26 papers were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria, including randomised control trials (n=8), non-randomised interventions (n=12), observational studies (n=3) and qualitative papers (n=3). The target population of most studies was children (<12 years) where data collection mostly took place in a school setting, in elementary schools, and in physical education lessons. The interventions reported on positive changes to CYP's physical activity behaviours, through increases in physical activity levels and emotions, attitudes and motivations toward physical activity. Gamification and personalisation were the main mechanisms of online interventions that elicited positive changes in behaviours. Conclusions: The studies in this review provide a convincing rationale for the use of online interventions to support CYP's engagement with physical activity, due to the positive effects on physical and affective outcomes. New evidence is provided on the key mechanisms of online ARTICLE HISTORY

Evaluation of Digital Interventions for Physical Activity Promotion: Scoping Review

“…Furthermore, children and adolescents are important target populations for digital interventions that focus on physical activity promotion because the use of digital technologies contributes to sedentary behavior, especially in early childhood [ 75 ]. Therefore, future research should consider potential benefits but also harms of digital technologies and thus, evaluate if digital interventions promote or hinder physical activity in children and adolescents [ 76 ].…”

Physical education in a post-COVID world: A blended-gamified approach

“…Findings from systematic reviews have demonstrated the effectiveness of gamification at achieving positive outcomes within a range of contexts including health and well-being and education (Dicheva et al, 2015; Johnson et al, 2016; Manzano-León et al, 2021). Additionally, in a systematic review of online PA interventions with young people, gamification was found to be one of the main mechanisms to elicit positive changes in young people's behaviours (Goodyear et al, 2021). More specifically, recent studies have reported positive motivational outcomes to be associated with the use of gamification in PE across multiple age ranges (Fernandez-Rio et al, 2020; Ferriz-Valero et al, 2020).…”

Associations between sedentary behavior and negative emotions in adolescents during home confinement: Mediating role of social support and sleep quality

“…To alleviate the detrimental health consequences of negative emotions (e.g., sleep problems), relaxation training and cognitive behavioral therapy can be recommended to improve sleep quality ( Zhou et al, 2020 ). Furthermore, offering physical training interventions at a safe distance (e.g., outdoor or via an online class) can be implemented as there is evidence that such interventions improve social aspects, sleep quality, and reduce the time spent on sedentary behavior ( Goodyear et al, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2021 ).…”