Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study
BackgroundMobile phone apps for monitoring and promoting physical activity (PA) are extremely popular among adults. Devices, such as heart rate monitors or sports watches (HRMs/SWs) that work with these apps are at sufficiently low costs to be available through the commercial markets. Studies have r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2017-05-01
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| Series: | JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| Online Access: | http://mhealth.jmir.org/2017/5/e61/ |
| _version_ | 1818918862727413760 |
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| author | Ng, Kwok Tynjälä, Jorma Kokko, Sami |
| author_facet | Ng, Kwok Tynjälä, Jorma Kokko, Sami |
| author_sort | Ng, Kwok |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundMobile phone apps for monitoring and promoting physical activity (PA) are extremely popular among adults. Devices, such as heart rate monitors or sports watches (HRMs/SWs) that work with these apps are at sufficiently low costs to be available through the commercial markets. Studies have reported an increase in PA levels among adults with devices; however, it is unknown whether the phenomena are similar during early adolescence. At a time when adolescents start to develop their own sense of independence and build friendship, the ease of smartphone availability in developed countries needs to be investigated in important health promoting behaviors such as PA.
ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the ownership and usage of PA trackers (apps and HRM/SW) among adolescents in a national representative sample and to examine the association between use of devices and PA levels.
MethodsThe Finnish school-aged physical activity (SPA) study consisted of 4575 adolescents, aged 11-, 13-, and 15-years, who took part in a web-based questionnaire during school time about PA behaviors between April and May 2016. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to test the associations between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and devices, after controlling for gender, age, disability, and family affluence.
ResultsPA tracking devices have been categorized into two types, which are accessible to adolescents: (1) apps and (2) HRM/SW. Half the adolescents (2351/4467; 52.63%) own apps for monitoring PA, yet 16.12% (720/4467) report using apps. Fewer adolescents (782/4413; 17.72%) own HRM/SW and 9.25% (408/4413) use HRM/SW. In this study, users of HRM/SW were 2.09 times (95% CI 1.64-2.67), whereas users of apps were 1.4 times (95% CI 1.15-1.74) more likely to meet PA recommendations of daily MVPA for at least 60 min compared with adolescents without HRM/SW or without apps.
ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the situation in Finland with adolescents using PA trackers and its association with PA levels. Implications of the use of apps and HRM/SW by adolescents are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:56:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8d5e48d50a8343259a58b4ab22b3d805 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2291-5222 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:56:42Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| spelling | doaj.art-8d5e48d50a8343259a58b4ab22b3d8052022-12-21T19:59:06ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR mHealth and uHealth2291-52222017-05-0155e6110.2196/mhealth.6940Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional StudyNg, KwokTynjälä, JormaKokko, SamiBackgroundMobile phone apps for monitoring and promoting physical activity (PA) are extremely popular among adults. Devices, such as heart rate monitors or sports watches (HRMs/SWs) that work with these apps are at sufficiently low costs to be available through the commercial markets. Studies have reported an increase in PA levels among adults with devices; however, it is unknown whether the phenomena are similar during early adolescence. At a time when adolescents start to develop their own sense of independence and build friendship, the ease of smartphone availability in developed countries needs to be investigated in important health promoting behaviors such as PA. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the ownership and usage of PA trackers (apps and HRM/SW) among adolescents in a national representative sample and to examine the association between use of devices and PA levels. MethodsThe Finnish school-aged physical activity (SPA) study consisted of 4575 adolescents, aged 11-, 13-, and 15-years, who took part in a web-based questionnaire during school time about PA behaviors between April and May 2016. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to test the associations between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and devices, after controlling for gender, age, disability, and family affluence. ResultsPA tracking devices have been categorized into two types, which are accessible to adolescents: (1) apps and (2) HRM/SW. Half the adolescents (2351/4467; 52.63%) own apps for monitoring PA, yet 16.12% (720/4467) report using apps. Fewer adolescents (782/4413; 17.72%) own HRM/SW and 9.25% (408/4413) use HRM/SW. In this study, users of HRM/SW were 2.09 times (95% CI 1.64-2.67), whereas users of apps were 1.4 times (95% CI 1.15-1.74) more likely to meet PA recommendations of daily MVPA for at least 60 min compared with adolescents without HRM/SW or without apps. ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the situation in Finland with adolescents using PA trackers and its association with PA levels. Implications of the use of apps and HRM/SW by adolescents are discussed.http://mhealth.jmir.org/2017/5/e61/ |
| spellingShingle | Ng, Kwok Tynjälä, Jorma Kokko, Sami Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study JMIR mHealth and uHealth |
| title | Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Ownership and Use of Commercial Physical Activity Trackers Among Finnish Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | ownership and use of commercial physical activity trackers among finnish adolescents cross sectional study |
| url | http://mhealth.jmir.org/2017/5/e61/ |
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