Time to move: A 4-week gamified mobile application intervention to promote physical activity in secondary school students

Abstract

This study aimed to help children and adolescents achieve their daily goal of 10,000 steps and daily exercise goals using the T2M (Time to Move) mobile gamification application. This study was a single-blinding cluster-randomised controlled trial conducted in a secondary school, including a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). The study consisted of a 1-week familiarisation, 4-week intervention and impact assessment session. Twenty-five students aged 12-14 years (CG, n = 13 am EG, n = 12) participated. T2M mobile application was developed to track the students' daily step counts and exercises and increase their physical activity levels. Newfeel Onwalk One Plus pedometer was chosen to track the number of steps. In EG, gamification elements (badges, points and leaderboards) were used for students to achieve the goals, whereas in CG, these elements were not included. 40% of those in the control group completed the step goals and 15% completed the exercise goals. In comparison, 65% of the experimental group completed the step goals (p = 0.043 and d = 0.40) and 68% completed the exercise goals (p = 0.0001 and d = 0.77). Furthermore, the PAQ-C scores were higher in the experimental group (p = 0.0114 and d = 0.51). As a result of the impact assessment session, it was determined that 70% of the students in the experimental group and 27% of those in the control group continued to exercise. It is observed that the experimental group completed more of the 10,000 steps per day and daily exercise goals. These findings suggest that T2M mobile-based gamification application can increase the physical activity level of children and adolescents.