Using Internet and Mobile Phone Technology to Deliver an Automated Physical Activity Program
Author Information
Author(s): Robert Hurling, Michael Catt, Marco De Boni, Bruce William Fairley, Tina Hurst, Peter Murray, Alannah Richardson, Jaspreet Singh Sodhi
Primary Institution: Unilever Corporate Research
Hypothesis
A group provided with access to the Internet and a mobile phone–based physical activity program would maintain a higher level of physical activity over 9 weeks than a control group who wore physical activity monitors but received no feedback and had no access.
Conclusion
A fully automated Internet and mobile phone–based motivation and action support system can significantly increase and maintain the level of physical activity in healthy adults.
Supporting Evidence
- The test group reported a significantly greater increase in perceived control and intention to exercise compared to the control group.
- Intent-to-treat analyses found a higher level of moderate physical activity in the test group.
- The average increase in accelerometer-measured moderate physical activity was 2 hours and 18 minutes per week for the test group.
Takeaway
This study shows that using the internet and mobile phones can help people exercise more by giving them reminders and feedback.
Methodology
A single-center, randomized, stratified controlled trial was conducted with 77 healthy adults who were divided into a test group with access to an Internet and mobile phone-based program and a control group with no support.
Limitations
The study was limited by the uniaxial nature of the accelerometers used, which may not capture all types of physical activity.
Participant Demographics
Participants were 77 healthy adults aged 30 to 55 years, with a mean age of 40.4 years and a mean BMI of 26.3.
Statistical Information
P-Value
P = .02
Confidence Interval
95% CI for the difference = 0.01-0.08
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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