Motivation: It's in the palm of our hands
Modern society’s obsession with their mobile phones may finally be paying dividends in terms of exercise participation.
In today’s society it would be safe to say that in one-way or another we are always connected or ‘plugged’ in. Figures show that the average smartphone user checks their mobile 150 times per day. While these figures aren’t a very positive reflection on the country’s face-to-face social interaction they do point to an opportunity. This being how mobile devices can be used to increase participation in physical activity.
A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in 2012 set out to determine whether modern mobile technologies are an effective way to combat the high number of people who don’t meet the recommended daily levels of exercise. With more than 70% of the population not getting enough exercise and 11.19 million smart phone users in the country, there is considerable motivation to explore the success of this type of intervention.
The review looked at eleven unique studies with the focus being on SMS directed interventions. It is important to note that at the time the study was conducted mobile apps were fairly new and therefore the role of mobile interventions would today be even more significant.
One intervention reviewed in the study targeted post-natal mothers with bi-weekly, motivational SMS messages. This particular intervention also included a goal-setting refrigerator magnet and face-to-face and telephone counseling. However, researchers suggest that full automation is the most effective form of intervention. This means minimal researcher contact, few supplementary materials, and automatic generation of individualised user content. This is supported by the success of another study, which only delivered regular motivational and reminder SMS messages to study participants. The result of which was an increase in daily physical activity.
In another study specifically targeting cancer survivors, four tailored motivational messages were sent to 10 participants each day for a period of five days. Using a pedometer to record the steps taken and amount of minutes spent exercising each day, results showed an increase in daily minutes of exercise from 19.4 minutes on day one to 32.2 by day five. The average number of steps taken by participants each day increased from 5.957 to 7,085. Feedback from participants indicated that the delivery of motivational SMS messages served as a positive reminder to exercise. Having an external source invested in a person’s exercise behaviors has been shown to make people feel supported and more accountable for their actions. Participants also indicated that when combined with a program of goal setting the use of mobile technologies is a valuable way to promote regular participation in exercise.
While it’s clear that mobile technologies hold a role in the promotion of physical activity, with new technologies emerging daily, more research needs to be done to establish the most effective way to utilise this technology.
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