scholarly journals mActive: A Randomized Clinical Trial of an Automated mHealth Intervention for Physical Activity Promotion

Author(s):  
Seth S. Martin ◽  
David I. Feldman ◽  
Roger S. Blumenthal ◽  
Steven R. Jones ◽  
Wendy S. Post ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dillys Larbi ◽  
Elia Gabarron ◽  
Kerstin Denecke

Fully automated self-help interventions integrated with social media chatbots could serve as highly cost-effective physical activity promotion tools for a large population. We have developed MYA, a Telegram-based chatbot for increasing physical activity. The objective of this study was to assess the usability of MYA. To identify usability issues, we recruited volunteers and asked them to interact with MYA and to answer the Chatbot Usability Questionnaire. Thirty volunteers participated in the study, 83.3% agreed MYA was welcoming during initial setup and 63.3% agreed MYA was very easy to use. MYA was perceived as realistic and engaging, easy to navigate, and its responses were useful, appropriate, and informative (all 53.3%). However, 63.3% of respondents agreed MYA failed to recognize most of their inputs, and 43.3% claimed it would be easy to get confused when using MYA. Although the results are encouraging, it remains unclear if a social media chatbot can motivate people to increase their physical activity. MYA has the potential to do that, with improvements in functionalities like challenge personalization. The efficacy of these approaches should be studied in a clinical trial.


2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  

In addition to the delivery of primary care services, recent changes to the NHS in the United Kingdom have placed increasing responsibility on GPs for the commissioning of the full range of health services from prevention through to clinical interventions and rehabilitation. Whilst historically there has always been an expectation that primary care professionals were ideally placed to provide support for prevention as well as treatment, their active engagement in the promotion of physical activity has remained largely superficial. With notable exceptions where individuals have a personal interest or commitment, the majority of health professionals tend to limit themselves to peremptory non-specific advice at best, or frequently don’t broach the subject at all. There are a number of reasons for this including increasing time pressures, a general lack of knowledge, limited evidence and concerns about litigation in the event of an adverse exercise induced event. However in the 1990s there was a surge of interest in the emerging “Exercise on Prescription” model where patients could be referred to community based exercise instructors for a structured “prescription” of exercise in community leisure centres. Despite the continuing popularity of the model there remain problems particularly in getting the active support of health professionals who generally cite the same barriers as previously identified. In an attempt to overcome some of these problems Wales established a national exercise referral scheme with an associated randomised controlled trial. The scheme evaluated well and had subsequently evolved with new developments including integration with secondary and tertiary care pathways, accredited training for exercise instructors and exit routes into alternative community based exercise opportunities.


Author(s):  
Sigit Arifwidodo ◽  
Orana Chandrasiri

Public Park is considered one of the essential settings for physical activity, especially in urban areas. Parks support physical activity through their accessibility, their provision to facilitate active pursuits; their capacity to provide opportunities to a wide range of users; and their semi-permanent nature. The paper explores the design intervention assessment of Benchakitti Park, which serves as the pilot project for active park and showcase during the past ISPAH 2016 conference. The objective of the paper is to understand the health and well-being benefits of an urban park in increasing PA levels of urban population and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Keywords: Public park; physical activity; urban landscape design; public health; SOPARC


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