Can Connected Devices Inspire Us to Be More Active?

[Un article de The Conversation écrit par Simone Burin-Chu – Enseignante-chercheuse contractuelle, Université d”Artois – et Farole Bossede – Enseignante chercheure contractuelle, Université d’Artois]

Physical activity is widely recognized as beneficial for health. Conversely, physical inactivity represents a major risk factor for the development of non -transmitted diseases. Faced with this observation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has established recommendations.

Adults should practice between 150 and 300 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate intensity (such as fast walking), or between 75 and 150 minutes of activity sustained per week. For the elderly, these recommendations also include balance exercises while, for children, 60 minutes of daily physical activity are recommended. However, a large part of the population fails to reach these levels of practice.

Digital tools seem to constitute a promising lever for the adoption of a more active lifestyle. But what are these tools, and to what extent do they encourage the practice of physical activity?

Can they constitute an effective means of engagement and motivation, or are they coming up against limits in terms of accessibility, usability or sustainability of their effects?

Commitment and motivation for the practice of physical activity: what are we talking about?

Commitment reflects the involvement of an individual in an area, while motivation is the energy that pushes him to act, whether intrinsic (personal pleasure, well-being) or extrinsic (influenced by rewards).

In the field of physical and sporting activities, studies show that motivation impacts the emotions, vitality and performance of practitioners. This constitutes a key factor in success, in connection with the theory of self-determination, which is based on three fundamental psychological needs: autonomy, social bond and the feeling of competence.

Commitment and motivation are therefore essential to maintain regular practice and depend on a set of psychological, social and environmental factors. In the long term, an active lifestyle is based on the adoption of adapted strategies that take into account these different determinants.

Smart watches, apps, platforms or active video games

Digital tools have profoundly transformed our daily life. Applied to physical activity, they have several advantages, such as the measurement and recording of performance, monitoring of progress, data sharing with other practitioners or gamification, that is to say the integration of game elements into non-fun contexts, which makes practice more attractive.

Connected objects, including intelligent watches, developed by brands like Fitbit, Apple or Garmin, are increasingly popular among practitioners.

These devices make it possible to measure the number of steps, the heart rate or the calories burned, while encouraging the achievement of daily objectives. They also offer a clear vision of performance evolution and strengthens motivation to continue effort.

With several million downloads around the world, mobile applications devoted to physical activity have become essential tools to encourage regular practice.

Platforms such as Strava, Fitbit, Nike Training Club or Myfitness, offer personalized programs adapted to user objectives, whether weight loss, muscle gain or improvement of endurance.

Some of these applications include functionalities for monitoring progress, challenges between practitioners and reminders to maintain the regularity of the practice. This type of gamification transforms physical effort into a motivating challenge, while generating a feeling of accomplishment.

Dedicated to children and adolescents … also to the elderly

Active video games, or exergamesare particularly relevant to children and adolescents, combining physical exercise and video games. Whether aerobic exercises, strengthening or balanced, consoles, such as the Nintendo Wii or Switch, but also Xbox and PlayStation, encourage movement in a fun way.

These technologies also request certain cognitive functions (attention, executive control), which can be of interest in the elderly.

As for the practice of physical activity through videoconferences, it experienced its boom during the health crisis, and remained widely used after the end of containment.

This remote training mode, accessible via platforms, such as Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, makes it possible to remove certain obstacles to practice, especially in individuals living in distant geographic areas or confronted with physical limitations, linked to age or pathology, which restrict their trips.

Promising technologies, but which have limits

If these tools open up new perspectives, especially for vulnerable groups, they can also have limits, such as strengthening isolation, by replacing group activities with individual practices.

Financial issues also represent a barrier. The more efficient tools are often expensive, they may accentuate access inequalities. Ergonomics can also lay brakes, especially for the elderly or disabled, if the interfaces are not sufficiently adapted.

Excessive complexity can actually discourage beginners and limit the adoption of these tools by certain populations. And it remains to be determined whether behaviors can really be impacted by their use.

The change in behavior in terms of physical activity designates a gradual process by which a person modifies his habits to adopt a regular practice. According to the so -called transstheoric model of change (developed by nextka and Di Clemente), in addition to motivation and commitment, social support and accessibility also represent key factors.

A study has shown that applications for physical activity incorporate behavioral change techniques, such as instructions for carrying out exercises, setting objectives, supporting support or social change, as well as feedback on performance. These tools seem to have more interesting effects in neo-practitioners, by increasing their motivation to start practice.

Encouraging but still restricted scientific results

Regarding scientific evidence relating to the effects of these technologies, a meta-analysis has revealed significant increases in the level of physical activity in participants subject to interventions based on applications for smartphones, compared to control groups benefiting from conventional sessions.

These encouraging results were also observed in a randomized controlled trial, where mobile applications have considerably increased the average number of daily steps. On the other hand, these effects were only studied in the short term. This limit frequently noted in the scientific literature prevents fully assessing their potential to generate sustainable behavior changes. In addition, certain research is based on small samples, which restricts the generalization of the results.

If these technologies arouse growing interest – largely thanks to their functionalities and their playful dimension -, they have both advantages and limits, on the practical level as well as on the scientific level.

Nevertheless, in a context where physical inactivity reaches worrying levels, any solution likely to promote physical activity deserves particular attention.

At this stage of knowledge, it appears relevant to consider these digital tools as complementary means that can contribute to the adoption of a more active lifestyle.