Training and Detraining Effects of a Physical Activity Program Implemented Through Mobile Applications in Adolescents.

NCT ID: NCT06164041

Last Updated: 2023-12-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 357 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-01-09
• Study Completion Date: 2023-07-21

Brief Summary

The use of mobile applications to promote the practice of physical activity has begun to be used in the adolescent population in recent years. This has made it possible to carry out interventions inside and outside the educational setting, the latter being the ones that have brought the greatest benefits. Thus, it has been observed that the promotion of the use of mobile applications in out-of-school hours from the subject of physical education has reported significant benefits on body composition and fitness in the adolescent population. However, there is no known research that has analyzed whether the effect achieved with mobile applications when their use is mandatory disappears when they are no longer promoted from the physical education subject. Therefore, this project goes further and tries to find out whether after the ten-week period of mandatory use of the applications, adolescents continue to use the applications autonomously and the beneficial effects achieved are maintained or disappear due to the lack of use.

For this purpose, a 10-week intervention was planned in which the adolescents used the mobile applications. Prior to the start of the intervention, the adolescents' body composition and fitness (pre) were measured. At the end of the intervention of mandatory use of the mobile applications, the adolescents were measured again (post). And after the post measurement, the adolescents were left for 10 weeks during which they could use the applications autonomously. A third measurement of the adolescents was performed after this 10-week period (post 2).

The aim of this project was to find out the effects of stopping the use of the mobile fitness apps on body composition and fitness of the adolescents.

Conditions

Adolescent Behavior; Mobile Applications; Physical Activity; Physical Condition; Body Composition

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Control Group

The control group did not use any of the research mobile applications, but were measured at pre, post and post 2. They continued attending physical education classes normally and practicing their sports activities.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Cardiovascular training through the application "MapMyWalk"

The adolescents who used this application were required to record their weekly workouts. To do this, before starting the workout, they entered the application, selected "walking" and started the record. The application included different warnings and alerts to encourage the practice of physical activity. Each week they had to make a weekly report with the distance covered.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

The use of mobile applications promoted from the physical education classroom to improve adolescent health.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Before starting the intervention, a total of 465 adolescents participated in pretest measurements (T1).

Researchers in charge of explaining how the apps worked were not involved in the measurements or subsequent analysis, as they knew which student belonged to each App and control group. Once each app had been described and its use explained, a training plan was drawn up to be followed during the period of mandatory use.

The adolescents were motivated to utilize the app for a duration of ten weeks, aiming for a minimum usage of three times per week.

After the mandatory intervention with the mobile apps, post-test measurements were carried out (T2). Then, a period of 10 weeks was provided in which the use of the app was neither mandatory nor promoted from the physical education subject, after which the post-test 2 measurements (T3) were taken.

Cardiovascular training through the application "Strava"

The adolescents who used this application were required to record their weekly workouts. To do this, before starting the workout, they entered the application, selected "walking" and started the record. The application included different warnings and alerts to encourage the practice of physical activity. Each week they had to make a weekly report with the distance covered.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

The use of mobile applications promoted from the physical education classroom to improve adolescent health.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Before starting the intervention, a total of 465 adolescents participated in pretest measurements (T1).

Researchers in charge of explaining how the apps worked were not involved in the measurements or subsequent analysis, as they knew which student belonged to each App and control group. Once each app had been described and its use explained, a training plan was drawn up to be followed during the period of mandatory use.

The adolescents were motivated to utilize the app for a duration of ten weeks, aiming for a minimum usage of three times per week.

After the mandatory intervention with the mobile apps, post-test measurements were carried out (T2). Then, a period of 10 weeks was provided in which the use of the app was neither mandatory nor promoted from the physical education subject, after which the post-test 2 measurements (T3) were taken.

Cardiovascular training through the application "Pacer"

The adolescents who used this application were required to record their weekly workouts. To do this, before starting the workout, they entered the application, selected "walking" and started the record. The application included different warnings and alerts to encourage the practice of physical activity. Each week they had to make a weekly report with the distance covered.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

The use of mobile applications promoted from the physical education classroom to improve adolescent health.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Before starting the intervention, a total of 465 adolescents participated in pretest measurements (T1).

Researchers in charge of explaining how the apps worked were not involved in the measurements or subsequent analysis, as they knew which student belonged to each App and control group. Once each app had been described and its use explained, a training plan was drawn up to be followed during the period of mandatory use.

The adolescents were motivated to utilize the app for a duration of ten weeks, aiming for a minimum usage of three times per week.

After the mandatory intervention with the mobile apps, post-test measurements were carried out (T2). Then, a period of 10 weeks was provided in which the use of the app was neither mandatory nor promoted from the physical education subject, after which the post-test 2 measurements (T3) were taken.

Cardiovascular training through the application "Pokémon Go"

This application is considered immersive as teenagers enter a virtual world. In it, the distance traveled in the real world was accounted for in the video game, also appearing different Pokémon that they could capture, making the gaming experience more playful. In the same way, the teenagers had to keep a weekly record of the distance traveled.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

The use of mobile applications promoted from the physical education classroom to improve adolescent health.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Before starting the intervention, a total of 465 adolescents participated in pretest measurements (T1).

Researchers in charge of explaining how the apps worked were not involved in the measurements or subsequent analysis, as they knew which student belonged to each App and control group. Once each app had been described and its use explained, a training plan was drawn up to be followed during the period of mandatory use.

The adolescents were motivated to utilize the app for a duration of ten weeks, aiming for a minimum usage of three times per week.

After the mandatory intervention with the mobile apps, post-test measurements were carried out (T2). Then, a period of 10 weeks was provided in which the use of the app was neither mandatory nor promoted from the physical education subject, after which the post-test 2 measurements (T3) were taken.

Interventions

The use of mobile applications promoted from the physical education classroom to improve adolescent health.

Before starting the intervention, a total of 465 adolescents participated in pretest measurements (T1).

Researchers in charge of explaining how the apps worked were not involved in the measurements or subsequent analysis, as they knew which student belonged to each App and control group. Once each app had been described and its use explained, a training plan was drawn up to be followed during the period of mandatory use.

The adolescents were motivated to utilize the app for a duration of ten weeks, aiming for a minimum usage of three times per week.

After the mandatory intervention with the mobile apps, post-test measurements were carried out (T2). Then, a period of 10 weeks was provided in which the use of the app was neither mandatory nor promoted from the physical education subject, after which the post-test 2 measurements (T3) were taken.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• enrollment in one of the selected educational centers.
• age comprised between 12-16 years old.
• completion of all questionnaires and physical tests during the three measurement periods (T1, T2 and T3).
• attending the kinanthropometric and body composition measurement periods.
• absence of any pathology or injury that would hinder participation in the tests or measurements conducted.

Exclusion Criteria

• missing more than 20% of the compulsory physical education sessions throughout the academic year.
• lack of mobile phone.
• failure to meet the minimum mandatory weekly distance requirement in the App group when app usage was obligatory.
• changing schools or class group during the course of the intervention.
• starting or ending any form of physical activity during the intervention that could alter the level of physical activity practiced for reasons unrelated to the study.
• having presented any illness during the follow-up period that would have prevented them from engaging in their usual physical activity.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 16 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Universidad Católica de Murcia

Murcia, , Spain

Countries

Spain

References

Mateo-Orcajada A, Vaquero-Cristobal R, Mota J, Abenza-Cano L. Physical Activity, Body Composition, and Fitness Variables in Adolescents After Periods of Mandatory, Promoted or Nonmandatory, Nonpromoted Use of Step Tracker Mobile Apps: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2024 Jul 30;12:e51206. doi: 10.2196/51206.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 39079110 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

MobileApps-Re

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id