Facultad de Deporte, Universidad Católica de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
Research Group Movement Sciences and Sport (MS&SPORT), Department of Physical Activity and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2024 Jul 30;12:e51206. doi: 10.2196/51206.
It is not known whether an intervention made mandatory as a physical education (PE) class assignment and aimed at promoting physical activity (PA) in adolescents can create a healthy walking habit, which would allow further improvements to be achieved after the mandatory and promoted intervention has been completed.
The aims of this study were to (1) investigate whether, after a period of using a step tracker mobile app made mandatory and promoted as a PE class assignment, adolescents continue to use it when its use is no longer mandatory and promoted; (2) determine whether there are changes in the PA level, body composition, and fitness of adolescents when the use of the app is mandatory and promoted and when it is neither mandatory nor promoted; and (3) analyze whether the covariates maturity status, gender, and specific app used can have an influence.
A total of 357 students in compulsory secondary education (age: mean 13.92, SD 1.91 y) participated in the study. A randomized controlled trial was conducted consisting of 2 consecutive 10-week interventions. Participants' PA level, body composition, and fitness were measured at baseline (T1), after 10 weeks of mandatory and promoted app use (T2), and after 10 weeks of nonmandatory and nonpromoted app use (T3). Each participant in the experimental group (EG) used 1 of 4 selected step tracker mobile apps after school hours.
The results showed that when the use of the apps was neither mandatory nor promoted as a PE class assignment, only a few adolescents (18/216, 8.3%) continued the walking practice. After the mandatory and promoted intervention period (T1 vs T2), a decrease in the sum of 3 skinfolds (mean difference [MD] 1.679; P=.02) as well as improvements in the PA level (MD -0.170; P<.001), maximal oxygen uptake (MD -1.006; P<.001), countermovement jump test (MD -1.337; P=.04), curl-up test (MD -3.791; P<.001), and push-up test (MD -1.920; P<.001) in the EG were recorded. However, the changes between T1 and T2 were significantly greater in the EG than in the control group only in the PA level and curl-up test. Thus, when comparing the measurements taken between T1 and T3, no significant changes in body composition (P=.07) or fitness (P=.84) were observed between the EG and the control group. The covariates maturity status, gender, and specific app used showed a significant effect in most of the analyses performed.
A period of mandatory and promoted use of step tracker mobile apps benefited the variables of body composition and fitness in adolescents but did not create a healthy walking habit in this population; therefore, when the use of these apps ceased to be mandatory and promoted, the effects obtained disappeared.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06164041; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06164041.
目前尚不清楚作为体育课作业强制实施并旨在促进青少年身体活动的干预措施是否能培养健康的步行习惯，从而在强制和促进干预结束后进一步提高青少年的健康水平。
本研究旨在：(1)调查在使用计步器移动应用程序作为体育课作业进行了一段时间的强制和推广后，青少年在不再强制和推广使用该应用程序时是否继续使用；(2)确定当应用程序被强制和推广使用以及既不强制也不推广使用时，青少年的身体活动水平、身体成分和体能是否发生变化；(3)分析成熟度、性别和特定应用程序的使用等协变量是否会产生影响。
共有 357 名接受义务教育的学生(年龄：平均 13.92 岁，标准差 1.91 岁)参加了这项研究。进行了一项随机对照试验，包括连续两个 10 周的干预。在基线(T1)、10 周强制和推广使用应用程序后(T2)以及 10 周非强制和非推广使用应用程序后(T3)，测量参与者的身体活动水平、身体成分和体能。实验组(EG)的每名参与者在课后使用 4 个选定的计步器移动应用程序之一。
结果表明，当应用程序不再作为体育课作业强制和推广使用时，只有少数青少年(18/216，8.3%)继续进行步行锻炼。在强制和推广干预期间(T1 与 T2 相比)，三头肌皮褶厚度总和减少 1.679(MD；P=.02)，身体活动水平提高 0.170(MD；P<.001)，最大摄氧量(MD；P<.001)，反跳测试(MD；P=.04)，俯卧撑测试(MD；P<.001)和仰卧起坐测试(MD；P<.001)。然而，EG 与对照组相比，T1 与 T2 之间的变化仅在身体活动水平和仰卧起坐测试中显著大于对照组。因此，当比较 T1 与 T3 之间的测量值时，EG 与对照组在身体成分(P=.07)或体能(P=.84)方面均未观察到显著变化。协变量成熟度、性别和特定应用程序的使用在大多数进行的分析中显示出显著影响。
一段时间的计步器移动应用程序的强制和推广使用使青少年的身体成分和体能变量受益，但并未在该人群中培养出健康的步行习惯；因此，当这些应用程序不再强制和推广使用时，所获得的效果就会消失。
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06164041；https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06164041。
