Yang Yanxiang, Hu Huijun, Koenigstorfer Joerg
Chair of Sport and Health Management, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Chair of Sport and Health Management, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Am J Prev Med. 2022 Apr;62(4):602-613. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.10.005. Epub 2021 Dec 7.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to examine the impacts of standalone gamified smartphone application-delivered interventions on physical activity.
Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ACM Digital Library were searched for publications that were published between January 1, 2008 and August 31, 2021. Eligibility criteria were RCTs or single-arm pre-to-post interventions delivered by standalone gamified applications and targeting physical activity. Study-specific results were analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis, with a standardized mean difference. Meta-regressions, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were performed. PRISMA guidelines were followed, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system was used to determine the strength of the evidence.
A total of 19 studies with 24 gamified applications were eligible, and 16 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Standalone gamified applications had a small-to-moderate effect on physical activity in both the between-group RCTs (n=12 applications, standardized mean difference=0.34, 95% CI=0.06, 0.62, I=72%, p<0.01; Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation: moderate) and the within-group pre-to-post interventions (n=18 applications, standardized mean difference=0.38, 95% CI=0.17, 0.59, I=74%, p<0.01; Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation: very low). Leave-one-out sensitivity analyses sustained the main effects with lower heterogeneity (I of 31.0% and 47.8%, respectively).
Using gamified smartphone applications as standalone interventions may increase physical activity. Future research could investigate the impacts of gamified applications on physical activity by isolating the role of specific single or clustered groups of application features.
本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在研究独立的游戏化智能手机应用程序干预对身体活动的影响。
检索了Web of Science、Scopus、PubMed、PsycINFO和ACM数字图书馆中2008年1月1日至2021年8月31日期间发表的文献。纳入标准为独立的游戏化应用程序进行的随机对照试验（RCT）或单臂前后干预，且干预目标为身体活动。采用随机效应荟萃分析对各研究的结果进行分析，并计算标准化均数差。进行了Meta回归、亚组分析和敏感性分析。遵循PRISMA指南，并使用推荐分级评估、制定和评价系统来确定证据的强度。
共有19项研究（涉及24个游戏化应用程序）符合纳入标准，其中16项研究纳入了荟萃分析。在组间RCT（n = 12个应用程序，标准化均数差 = 0.34，95%CI = 0.06, 0.62，I² = 72%，p < 0.01；推荐分级评估、制定和评价：中等）和组内前后干预（n = 18个应用程序，标准化均数差 = 0.38，95%CI = 0.17, 0.59，I² = 74%，p < 0.01；推荐分级评估、制定和评价：极低）中，独立的游戏化应用程序对身体活动均有小到中等程度的影响。逐一剔除敏感性分析维持了主要效应，且异质性较低（I²分别为31.0%和47.8%）。
将游戏化智能手机应用程序作为独立干预措施可能会增加身体活动。未来的研究可以通过分离特定单个或成组的应用程序功能的作用，来调查游戏化应用程序对身体活动的影响。
