Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Jul 18, 2020
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 18, 2020 - Jul 27, 2020
Date Accepted: Jan 12, 2021
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Effects of Smartphone-based Interventions on Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
About 70% of children and adolescents worldwide do not meet the recommended level of physical activity (PA), which is closely associated with physical, psychological, and cognitive well-being. Nowadays, the use of technologies to change PA is of interest due to the need for novel, more effective intervention approaches. The previous meta-analyses have examined smartphone-based interventions and their impact on PA in adults, but evidence in children and adolescents still needs further research.
Objective:
To determine the effectiveness of smartphone-based interventions for improving PA in children and adolescents.
Methods:
Five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, OVID, Scopus, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched for a randomized controlled trial, smartphone-based intervention on PA levels of children and adolescents were obtained. Bias risks were assessed using the Cochrane collaboration tool. Meta-analysis was performed to assess the pooled effect on PA. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the potential modifying effects of different factors.
Results:
A total of 9 studies were included in this review, including 4 mobile application (APP) interventions, 3 short message service (SMS) text messaging interventions, and 2 APP+SMS interventions. Compared with the control group, the use of smartphone intervention significantly improved PA (Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) = 0.44, 95%: 0.11 to 0.77), especially for total PA (TPA) (Weighted Mean Difference (WMD) = 32.35, 95%: 10.36 to 54.33) and daily steps (WMD = 1185, 95%: 303 to 2068), but not for moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (WMD = 3.91, 95%: -1.99 to 9.81). The results of subgroup analyses indicated that APP, children, duration ≤8 weeks, objective measurement, and low risk of bias can significantly improve PA.
Conclusions:
Smartphone-based intervention may be a promising strategy to increase TPA and steps in children and adolescents, but the effect of the intervention on MVPA remains to be studied. Currently, APP intervention may be a more effective strategy among smartphone intervention technologies.
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