JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Over the past few years, the behaviour of university students towards physical activity has been impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to decreased levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This decline has been accompanied by increased anxiety levels and weight gain, which may deter individuals from resuming exercise routines. Traditional commercial fitness apps present barriers like fees, which may deter university students from using them.

Objective:

In response, we developed a mobile app named “PolyU Wellfit” in Feb 2022, which incorporates the concept of "Gamification" and the emerging "Play-to-Earn" (P2E) model, which rewards users with tangible benefits, aiming to engage and motivate them to sustain physical activity.

Methods:

We incorporate the concept of "Gamification" and the emerging "Play-to-Earn" (P2E) model, which rewards users with tangible benefits, aiming to engage and motivate them to sustain physical activity, into the app design. We also conduct a quantitative study utilizing questionnaires to collect user feedbacks towards feasibility study. The in-app user activity logs are also collected for exploratory analysis.

Results:

We collected 55 students’ feedback by questionnaire. Around 87% of users agree that the app is easy to use, and 80% of users found that the PolyU Wellfit app helped them improve their physical health. More than 74% of users thought that the gifts were attractive. 83.6% of users were satisfied with the PolyU Wellfit app.

Conclusions:

The "PolyU Wellfit" app, tailored to meet university students' unique needs and motivations, presents a feasible solution to address the decline in physical activity observed in this demographic. Its integration of gamification and the "Play-to-Earn" model, coupled with customised exercise experiences, aligns with student preferences and behaviours, making it a viable tool to promote consistent physical activity among university attendees.