Digital Technologies for Physical Activity

Digital technology is becoming more prevalent in interventions aimed at physical activity (PA). This paper reviews the literature to determine whether these technologies influence PA behavior changes, and identifies a few factors that could influence these changes.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, people had a limited access to traditional physical activities. It was therefore crucial that they could continue their routine exercises at home. This meant that a lot of people relied on digital platforms to assist or guide their physical activities. These platforms included online or mobile applications (eg, streaming services for exercise); subscriber fitness programs which are facilitated via app or online (eg Activate, Activate and Centr); fitness or sports apps that provide coaching to help individuals improve their performance in specific areas or in particular skills (eg, Zwift, FullGaz, Rouvy); and heart rate monitors and pedometers.

In general, women accessed these digital platforms more than men. This is probably because of their higher dependence upon self-monitoring, internal accountability and safety concerns when exercising outdoors, after dark, or for fear of being judged by other people. However, the majority of participants who utilized these platforms also attended instructor-led classes in physical activity or in-person training.

Unadjusted logistic regression models were examined to discover associations between the characteristics of the sample, such as the sex of the participant, age, household employment status, the responsibility of child care, as well as MVPA, MSE, and combined physical activity guidelines compliance. Modified multilevel logistic regression models were looked at to determine potential mediator or confounding effects.

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