Zhang Min, Li Xiaojing
School of Media & Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Digit Health. 2024 Aug 28;10:20552076241277483. doi: 10.1177/20552076241277483. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
Adolescents face various health challenges due to academic pressures and sedentary lifestyles. Establishing healthy habits during this critical period is essential for long-term well-being. With the widespread use of fitness apps, understanding their impact on adolescent health behaviors and the underlying mechanisms is crucial. Guided by social support theory and social comparison theory, this study examined the influence of WeRun, a fitness app within WeChat, on adolescents' adoption of healthy lifestyles. It investigated the correlation between WeRun usage and healthy behaviors, as well as the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted across 31 provinces and metropolitans in China, utilizing a random cluster sampling approach targeting high school and freshman students aged 15-24 (= 1312). A parallel mediation model was employed to test the hypotheses.
The analysis showed that WeRun use positively predicted both social support and social comparison. Meanwhile, both social support and social comparison were positively associated with healthy lifestyles. Additionally, WeRun use could not directly predict healthy lifestyles. However, WeRun use indirectly predicted healthy lifestyles via social support and social comparison.
The study's findings revealed the pivotal roles of social support and social comparison as mediating variables in the relationship between adolescents' WeRun usage and adoption of healthy lifestyles. The results contributed to the current comprehension of the mechanisms linking app utilization to health-promoting behaviors. Furthermore, it provided valuable insights for promoting adolescent health and informed improved design strategies for fitness apps.
由于学业压力和久坐不动的生活方式，青少年面临各种健康挑战。在这一关键时期养成健康习惯对长期幸福至关重要。随着健身应用程序的广泛使用，了解它们对青少年健康行为的影响及其潜在机制至关重要。本研究以社会支持理论和社会比较理论为指导，考察了微信中的一款健身应用程序“微信运动”对青少年采用健康生活方式的影响。研究了“微信运动”的使用与健康行为之间的相关性，以及驱动这种关系的潜在机制。
在中国31个省和直辖市进行了一项横断面调查，采用随机整群抽样方法，目标是15至24岁的高中生和大一学生（=1312）。采用平行中介模型来检验假设。
分析表明，使用“微信运动”能正向预测社会支持和社会比较。同时，社会支持和社会比较均与健康生活方式呈正相关。此外，使用“微信运动”不能直接预测健康生活方式。然而，使用“微信运动”通过社会支持和社会比较间接预测健康生活方式。
该研究结果揭示了社会支持和社会比较作为中介变量在青少年使用“微信运动”与采用健康生活方式之间关系中的关键作用。这些结果有助于当前对应用程序使用与促进健康行为之间联系机制的理解。此外，它为促进青少年健康提供了有价值的见解，并为健身应用程序的改进设计策略提供了参考。
