JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Health promotion interventions incorporating wearable technology or eHealth applications can encourage participants to self-monitor and modify their physical activity and sedentary behavior. In 2020, a Calgary (Canada) recreational facility developed and implemented a health promotion intervention (Vivo Play Scientist program) that provided commercially-available wearable technology and a customized eHealth dashboard to participants, free-of-cost. The program aimed to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior.

Objective:

To independently evaluate the effectiveness of the Vivo Play Scientist program for modifying physical activity and sedentary behavior during the initial 8-weeks of the piloted intervention.

Methods:

Our concurrent mixed-methods study included a single-arm repeated-measures quasi-experiment and semi-structured interviews. Among the 318 eligible participants (≥18 years of age) registered for the program, 87 completed three self-administered online surveys (baseline, T0; 4-weeks, T1; and 8-weeks, T2). The comprehensive survey captured physical activity, sedentary behavior, use of wearable technology and eHealth applications, and sociodemographic characteristics. Twenty-three participants (18 females/5 males; 22-56 years), were recruited using maximal variation sampling, and completed telephone-administered semi-structured interviews regarding their program experiences. Physical activity and sedentary behavior outcomes were statistically compared between the three time points (T0, T1, and T2) using Friedman’s tests. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data.

Results:

The mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 39.8 (7.4) years and 74.7% were female. Approximately half of all participants had previously used wearable technology (46.0%) or an eHealth application (49.4%) prior to the intervention. Most participants used the Vivofit4 for ≥4 days/week (T1 93.1% and T2 87.4%), while almost half used the eHealth dashboard for ≥1 day/week (T1 54.0% and T2 47.1%). The mean time spent walking at 8-weeks was significantly higher compared with baseline (T0 180.34 vs. T2 253.79 min/week, p=0.005), with no significant differences found for other physical activity outcomes. Compared to baseline, the mean time spent sitting was significantly lower at 4-weeks (T0 334.26 vs. T1 260.46 min/day, p<0.001) and 8-weeks (T0 334.26 vs. T2 267.13 min/day, p<0.001). Significant within group differences in physical activity and sitting between time points were found among subgroups based on the household composition of participants, history of wearable activity tracker use, and history of eHealth applications use. Participants described how wearing the Vivofit4 was beneficial in helping them to modify physical activity and sedentary behavior. The social support as a result of multiple members of the same household participating in the program, motivated changes in physical activity. Participants also experienced improvements in their mental, physical, and social health.

Conclusions:

Providing individuals with free-of-cost commercially-available wearable technology and an eHealth application has the potential to support increases in physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior in the short-term, even under COVID-19 public health restrictions. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.