JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Sports apps can support physical activity through self-monitoring, feedback, and engagement features; however, evidence regarding their broader health-related outcomes remains mixed. The roles of digitalization and gamification in the association between sports app involvement and core literacy in physical education and health also remain unclear.

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate a multicomponent app-supported physical activity intervention and examine the cross-sectional associations between sports app involvement and core literacy in physical education and health, including indirect statistical associations through digitalization and gamification.

Methods:

This study comprised two independent quantitative studies. Study 1 used a Solomon four-group randomized design in which 120 university students were allocated equally to the pretested experimental, pretested control, unpretested experimental, or unpretested control groups. The experimental groups received a 12-week multicomponent app-supported physical activity intervention, and 107 participants completed the post-intervention assessment. Study 2 involved a cross-sectional survey of 790 students from 8 universities and structural equation modeling adjusted for age and sex.

Results:

In Study 1, significant intervention main effects were observed for self-reported motor competence (F₁,₁₀₃=33.869, P<.001, ηp²=0.247), health behaviors (F₁,₁₀₃=21.548, P<.001, ηp²=0.173), and sportsmanship (F₁,₁₀₃=30.261, P<.001, ηp²=0.227). The Pretest × intervention interactions were not statistically significant for motor competence (P=.92), health behaviors (P=.93), or sportsmanship (P=.79), and the attrition sensitivity analysis produced consistent results. In Study 2, sports app involvement was positively associated with core literacy (β=.135, P=.01). The largest specific indirect association was through digitalization (0.204, bias-corrected 95% CI 0.126-0.290), followed by the sequential pathway through digitalization and gamification (0.036, bias-corrected 95% CI 0.005-0.081) and gamification alone (0.031, bias-corrected 95% CI 0.004-0.077).

Conclusions:

The multicomponent app-supported intervention improved self-reported motor competence, health behavior, and sportsmanship. In the independent cross-sectional sample, sports app involvement was positively associated with core literacy, with digitalization showing the strongest specific indirect association. Clinical Trial: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): ChiCTR2600124527; retrospectively registered on May 13, 2026.