scholarly journals Gamified Wearable Fitness Tracker for Physical Activity: A Comprehensive Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7017
Author(s):  
Inje Cho ◽  
Kyriaki Kaplanidou ◽  
Shintaro Sato
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Moderate Amount ◽  
Point Of Interest ◽  
Comprehensive Literature Review ◽  
Fitness Tracker ◽  
Fitness Trackers ◽  
Sustainable Health

Recently, gamified wearable fitness trackers have received greater attention and usage among sport consumers. Although a moderate amount of aerobic physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of many serious illnesses, physical inactivity issues are still prominent. Although wearable fitness trackers have the potential to contribute to physical activity engagement and sustainable health outcomes, there are dwindling engagement and discontinuance issues. Thus, examining its gamification elements and role in physical activity becomes critical. This study examined the gamification elements in wearable fitness trackers and their role in physical activity and sports engagement. A comprehensive literature review yielded 26 articles that empirically measured a variety of gamification features and the effect of the device on physical activity and sports engagement. The study suggests three key gamification themes: goal-based, social-based, and rewards-based gamification that can be a point of interest for future scholars and practitioners. Based on the review, we propose a conceptual framework that embraces motivational affordances and engagement in physical activity and sports.

scholarly journals Policy Evaluation Network (PEN): Protocol for systematic literature review examining the evidence for impact of school policies on physical activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Kevin Volf ◽  
Liam Kelly ◽  
Enrique García Bengoechea ◽  
Blathin Casey ◽  
Anna Gobis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Policy Evaluation ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Relative Reduction ◽  
Global Action ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Action Plan

Introduction: Over 40 million deaths annually are due to noncommunicable diseases, 15 million of these are premature deaths and physical inactivity attributes an estimated 9% to this figure. Global responses have included the sustainable development goals and the global action plan on physical activity. Both point to policy action in physical activity (PA) to address change, yet the impact of policy is unknown.  The protocol described outlines a systematic literature review that will be undertaken by the Policy Evaluation Network to address this knowledge gap. Protocol: This review of school PA policies is the first of seven planned reviews. The seven best investments for promotion of population PA identified in the Toronto Charter (whole-of-school programmes, transport policy, urban design policy, primary health care policy, public education policy, community programmes and sport programmes) will form the basis of these reviews. Seven individual scientific literature searches across six electronic databases, using key concepts of policy, PA, evaluation and a distinct concept for each area will be conducted. This will be supplemented with a search of the reference list of included articles. Methodological quality will be assessed and overall effectiveness for each included study will be described according to pre-determined categories. Conclusions: The review will provide policy makers with a list of policy statements and corresponding actions which the evidence has determined impact on PA directly or indirectly. By collating the evidence, and demonstrating the depth of the science base which informs these policy recommendations, this review will provide guidance to policymakers to use evidence-based or evidence-informed policies to achieve the 15% relative reduction in physical inactivity as defined by the ‘Global Action Plan on Physical Activity’. Registration:  PROSPERO CRD42020156630 (10/07/2020).

Greenspace to facilitate the positive physical activity and mental health outcomes of older adults in Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam G Gavarkovs
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Current System ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

The link between physical inactivity and poor health outcomes is well established. Older adults are especially at risk for many health conditions, and are one of the most inactive populations in Canada. Increasing levels of neighbourhood greenness has shown a positive relationship with walking and exercise behaviours, which in turn affects both mental and physical health. Currently in Ontario, the provincial Planning Act outlines the process of parkland dedication that individual municipalities are responsible for carrying out. This policy brief will discuss the inadequacies of the current system in effectively creating greenspace for older adults, and will propose several recommendations to resolve these issues.

scholarly journals Physical Activity in the Workplace – Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Jaclyn Hadfield ◽  
Carol Kennedy-Armbruster ◽  
Lesa Huber ◽  
Susan Middlestadt
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Popular Belief ◽  
Healthy Choice ◽  
Physical Activity Programs ◽  
Negative Health Outcomes

Background: Engaging in physical activity in the workplace is important to address to combat the negative health outcomes associated with physical inactivity and prolonged sitting.Aim: This study aims to identify efforts that increase light neuromotor physical activity in university workplaces for sedentary employees.Methods: Sub-study 1 examined 15 intervention employees and 10 control employees. MANOVA was used to examine average number of days employees did three movements at work between groups over an eight-week period. Sub-study 2 examined 56 employees and measured three beliefs towards employee intention to do the movements at work. A linear regression examined the significance of the beliefs in predicting employee intention.Results: MANOVA results showed a significant effect between groups on the average number of days employees did three movements over an eight-week period of time, F (3, 21) = 3.16; p < .05. The adjusted R-squared predicting intention from the three beliefs was .343 (p < .001). Participants' belief in how 'easy' doing the movements would be significantly predicted intention scores (β= .467; p < .001) as did the 'popular' belief (β = .371; p < .01). Conclusion: Worksite group physical activity programs can increase the frequency employees get up and move at work. Employee beliefs of how easy or popular a behavior is can significantly predict intention to do neuromotor movements in workplaces.

scholarly journals Relation Between Physical Activities and Built Environment: A Literature Review

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Md Masud Parves Rana ◽  
Xiaolu Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Observational Measures ◽  
Perceived Environment ◽  
The World

Physical inactivity has been a leading factor of chronic diseases and high rate of mortality in the world. Despite the fact, only a small portion of people are able to meet up the recommended physical activities. However, there are handful studies suggest that built environment may provide stimulus or barriers to people’s participation in physical activities. Drawing upon this context, this paper aims to review articles regarding ‘built environment and physical activity’ focusing on characteristics of built environment which are particularly helpful in improving neighborhood environment, and to catch the attention to physical activities, such as walking, and cycling. It also critically reviews the measures of built environment, and finds three measures viz. (i) perceived environment measures, (ii) observational measures, and (iii) GIS-based measures. The article argues that integrated measures of built environment might be helpful to reduce limitations of individual measures and to understand the reasons of less participation in physical activities. It also suggests some practical interventions for improvement of built environment which is essentially inevitable to persuade physical activities. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jles.v7i0.20127 J. Life Earth Sci., Vol. 7: 91-98, 2012

scholarly journals Improving the Physical Activity of Breast Cancer Survivors Through Fitness Trackers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lynch ◽  
S. Bird ◽  
F. Barnett ◽  
N. Lythgo ◽  
I. Selva-Raj
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Activity Behaviour ◽  
Fitness Tracker ◽  
Fitness Trackers ◽  
Activity Behaviour

Introduction: Increasing physical activity among posttreatment breast cancer survivors is essential, as greater physical activity reduces the relative risk of cancer-specific mortality. This trial examines how a fitness tracker-based intervention changes the physical activity behaviour of inactive posttreatment breast cancer survivors. Methods: Seventeen physically inactive posttreatment breast cancer survivors participated in a randomised cross-over controlled trial. Participants underwent a 12-week intervention of a fitness tracker combined with a behavioural counselling and goal-setting session and 12 weeks of normal activity (control). The primary outcome was the change in physical activity assessed by accelerometry over seven days. Results: The intervention achieved a mean increase of 4.5 min/day of moderate-vigorous physical activity, representative of a small-moderate effect (d = 0.34). Changes in time spent as a proportion of the day in light physical activity (-8.3%) and in sedentary behaviour (7.9%), were both significantly different to baseline (t (16) = 3.522, p < 0.01; t (16) = -3.162, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Interindividual differences in the change of patterns of physical activity behaviour suggest that only for some, fitness trackers can achieve a change in the level of moderate-vigorous physical activity.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMS OF PROPHYLAXIS OF LOW PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITH USE OF FITNESS TRACKERS AT OFFICE WORKERS

2017 ◽  
pp. 43-46
Author(s):  
M.A. Fesenko ◽  
E.V. Gevorkyan ◽  
I.A. Rybakov
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
International Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Fitness Tracker ◽  
Fitness Trackers ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a program to increase physical activity using fitness trackers. Surveyed 36 employees and 2 formed a comparison group by gender. The average age of men was 35 ± 4,5 years, women 35 ± 4,7 years. Program participants have completed health screening: tests for cholesterol, glucose, body mass index (BMI), level of physical activity using fitness tracker Jawbone and questionnaire the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). At the time of passing of the program it was noted the change of screening indicators revealed a trend to a slight increase in physical activity. According to the test results

scholarly journals Feasibility of Using a Commercial Fitness Tracker as an Adjunct to Family-Based Weight Management Treatment: Pilot Randomized Trial (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thao-Ly Tam Phan ◽  
Nadia Barnini ◽  
Sherlly Xie ◽  
Angelica Martinez ◽  
Lauren Falini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Weight Management ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Utilization Patterns ◽  
Fitness Tracker ◽  
Fitness Trackers ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Fitness trackers can engage users through automated self-monitoring of physical activity. Studies evaluating the utility of fitness trackers are limited among adolescents, who are often difficult to engage in weight management treatment and are heavy technology users. OBJECTIVE We conducted a pilot randomized trial to describe the impact of providing adolescents and caregivers with fitness trackers as an adjunct to treatment in a tertiary care weight management clinic on adolescent fitness tracker satisfaction, fitness tracker utilization patterns, and physical activity levels. METHODS Adolescents were randomized to 1 of 2 groups (adolescent or dyad) at their initial weight management clinic visit. Adolescents received a fitness tracker and counseling around activity data in addition to standard treatment. A caregiver of adolescents in the dyad group also received a fitness tracker. Satisfaction with the fitness tracker, fitness tracker utilization patterns, and physical activity patterns were evaluated over 3 months. RESULTS A total of 88 adolescents were enrolled, with 69% (61/88) being female, 36% (32/88) black, 23% (20/88) Hispanic, and 63% (55/88) with severe obesity. Most adolescents reported that the fitness tracker was helping them meet their healthy lifestyle goals (69%) and be more motivated to achieve a healthy weight (66%). Despite this, 68% discontinued use of the fitness tracker by the end of the study. There were no significant differences between the adolescent and the dyad group in outcomes, but adolescents in the dyad group were 12.2 times more likely to discontinue using their fitness tracker if their caregiver also discontinued use of their fitness tracker (95% CI 2.4-61.6). Compared with adolescents who discontinued use of the fitness tracker during the study, adolescents who continued to use the fitness tracker recorded a higher number of daily steps in months 2 and 3 of the study (mean 5760 vs 4148 in month 2, P=.005, and mean 5942 vs 3487 in month 3, P=.002). CONCLUSIONS Despite high levels of satisfaction with the fitness trackers, fitness tracker discontinuation rates were high, especially among adolescents whose caregivers also discontinued use of their fitness tracker. More studies are needed to determine how to sustain the use of fitness trackers among adolescents with obesity and engage caregivers in adolescent weight management interventions.

scholarly journals Physical Activity Trend eXtraction: A Framework for Extracting Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity Trends From Wearable Fitness Tracker Data (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Faust ◽  
Cheng Wang ◽  
David Hachen ◽  
Omar Lizardo ◽  
Nitesh V Chawla
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Activity Behavior ◽  
Trend Extraction ◽  
First Case ◽  
Fitness Tracker ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Fitness Trackers

BACKGROUND Moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) offers extensive health benefits but is neglected by many. As a result, a wide body of research investigating physical activity behavior change has been conducted. As many of these studies transition from paper-based methods of MVPA data collection to fitness trackers, a series of challenges arise in extracting insights from these new data. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research was to develop a framework for preprocessing and extracting MVPA trends from wearable fitness tracker data to support MVPA behavior change studies. METHODS Using heart rate data collected from fitness trackers, we propose Physical Activity Trend eXtraction (PATX), a framework that imputes missing data, recalculates personalized target heart zones, and extracts MVPA trends. We tested our framework on a dataset of 123 college study participants observed across 2 academic years (18 months) using Fitbit Charge HRs. To demonstrate the value of our frameworks’ output in supporting MVPA behavior change studies, we applied it to 2 case studies. RESULTS Among the 123 participants analyzed, PATX labeled 41 participants as experiencing a significant increase in MVPA and 44 participants who experienced a significant decrease in MVPA, with significance defined as P<.05. Our first case study was consistent with previous works investigating the associations between MVPA and mental health. Whereas the second, exploring how individuals perceive their own levels of MVPA relative to their friends, led to a novel observation that individuals were less likely to notice changes in their own MVPA when close ties in their social network mimicked their changes. CONCLUSIONS By providing meaningful and flexible outputs, PATX alleviates data concerns common with fitness trackers to support MVPA behavior change studies as they shift to more objective assessments of MVPA.

scholarly journals Investing in college students: the role of the fitness tracker

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205520761876680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jodee A. Schaben ◽  
Stacy Furness
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
College Students ◽  
General Education ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Step Count ◽  
Future Research ◽  
College Age ◽  
Fitness Tracker ◽  
Fitness Trackers ◽  
The Impact

Fitness trackers are becoming a popular way to encourage physical activity and impact health behaviors. Although many college students may own and use fitness trackers, they remain a high-risk group in terms of rates of obesity and lack of physical activity. In this study, college students were provided with fitness trackers to self-monitor step count. Pre- and post-measures of body composition, resting heart rate and blood pressure, knowledge of physical activity behaviors and perception of wellness were used to determine the impact of the fitness trackers. The research was completed in two phases: phase one with completely voluntary participation and phase two as a part of a required general education wellness course. Results did not indicate a significant change in step count over 12 weeks nor did they show positive change in body measurements; however, there were indicators of activity benefits. Knowledge and perception of wellness were not positively impacted in the voluntary study; however, when the education component was required, some increases in knowledge and perception of wellness were shown in the general education course. Many lessons were learned in the study that should be considered when planning future research with fitness trackers in the college-age setting.

scholarly journals Physical activity during pregnancy and maternal-child health outcomes: a systematic literature review

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (suppl 4) ◽  
pp. s531-s544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Maia Schlüssel ◽  
Elton Bicalho de Souza ◽  
Michael Eduardo Reichenheim ◽  
Gilberto Kac
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Maternal Child Health ◽  
Child Health Outcomes ◽  
Maternal Child

A systematic literature review was conducted to investigate the effects of physical activity during pregnancy on selected maternal-child health outcomes. The search included articles published from 1980 to 2005 in the MEDLINE and LILACS databases using key words such as physical activity, physical exercise, pregnancy, and gestation. The methodological quality of 37 selected articles was evaluated. It appears to be a consensus that some light-to-moderate physical activity is not a risk factor and may even be considered a protective factor for some outcomes. However, some studies found an association between specific activities (e.g., climbing stairs or standing for long periods) and inadequate birth weight, prematurity, and miscarriage. Few studies found an association between physical activity and maternal weight gain, mode of delivery, or fetal development. Further research is needed to fill these gaps and provide guidelines on the intensity, duration, and frequency of physical activity during pregnancy.

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