A focus group study among insufficiently physically active African American adults regarding technology-delivered team-based gamification for physical activity promotion
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Monroe C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10839515 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundWorkers with physically demanding work may be at risk for injury, illness or other adverse health outcomes due to exposure to different occupational hazards, especially at higher age. Sensor technology applications may be useful in the workplace to unobtrusively measure and monitor work exposures and provide workers with real-time feedback or access to data on demand. Many aspects might impede the implementation of sensor technology applications in the workplace, which should be taken into consideration for a successful implementation. Moreover, needs and preferences of workers regarding the use of sensor technology applications during work performance need to be identified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify worker needs and preferences regarding the use of sensor technology applications in the workplace.MethodsFour on-site focus group sessions were conducted in four different companies among workers with physically demanding work (n = 30). Semi-structured interview schedules were used to identify which work exposures should be measured, by which kind of sensor technology applications, under which (pre)conditions, how to motivate long-term use of sensor technology applications, and which type of feedback is preferred. For data analysis, a content-analysis with an inductive approach was performed.ResultsParticipants mentioned that they want to use wearable sensor technology applications to measure and monitor physical job demands, occupational heat stress, noise and fatigue. Factors associated with quality, comfort and perceived ease of use were identified as potential barriers for implementation in the workplace. Long-term motivation was attributed to the ability to manage and monitor work exposures, positive feedback and data ownership. Participants indicated a need to both receive real-time feedback and access to data on demand.ConclusionsSensor technology applications may support workers with physically demanding work to measure and monitor their work exposures. Potential barriers for implementation such as privacy aspects and quality, comfort and perceived ease of use of sensor technology applications need to be well considered to ensure successful implementation of sensor technology applications in the workplace.
| S-EPMC6693286 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Implementing technology-enhanced learning and teaching in schools causes major changes for both teachers and students. Research in other fields shows that individuals' regulatory orientation (i.e., promotion and prevention focus) predicts how people deal with such fundamental changes. Our research ties in with a school trial where classes were equipped with tablets, yielding a shift from predominantly analog to technology-enhanced learning and teaching. In this context, we investigated whether the regulatory orientation of teachers (N = 109) and students (N = 1,127) related to how they dealt with this change. As expected, teachers with a stronger promotion focus were more likely to perceive the changing teaching situation as a (positively connotated) challenge and to intend to use the tablets in class. Further, students with a strong promotion focus when tablet-based teaching was introduced showed higher technology-related self-efficacy and higher motivation to use digital devices after a few months of using tablets in class. Prevention focus was unrelated to teachers' and students' attitudes, behavioral intentions, or motivation. Thus, the concept of regulatory orientation helps explain how teachers and students respond to changes in school, whereby particularly promotion focus appears to be relevant for change processes due to digital transformation in education.
| S-EPMC11424645 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study aimed to evaluate a newly developed gamification-based intervention of serious play training (SPT). A randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of the new intervention program in comparison with a widely adopted cognitive-behavioral training (CBT) program. Real-life work teams were recruited to enhance the ecological validity of outcome evaluation. The participants comprised 250 Chinese working adults (68% men; median age = 25 years, range: 18-40) who took part voluntarily. They were randomly assigned to the SPT, CBT, and waitlist conditions. For outcome evaluation, team effectiveness was the primary outcome, whereas coping flexibility was the secondary outcome. For explanation of outcome changes, group cohesion and discriminative thinking were tested as the hypothesized learning mechanisms. The results revealed that the SPT group alone reported greater team effectiveness over time, with an increase in group cohesion found to explain the improvement. Both the SPT and CBT groups reported greater coping flexibility over time, with discriminative thinking found to account for the beneficial changes. These findings provide initial evidence indicating the efficacy of utilizing the gamification approach in corporate training for team-building and personal coping.
| S-EPMC9357928 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Little is known about the impact that physical activity (PA) coaching interventions have on sedentary behaviours. The aim of this study was to investigate if a coaching intervention that increases PA coincidentally influences objectively measured sedentary time in insufficiently physically active adults. We recruited 120 insufficiently physically active ambulatory hospital patients and randomized them to either receive a PA coaching intervention designed to increase objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) or be part of a control group. Participants wore an accelerometer for seven days at baseline, post-intervention (three months) and follow-up (nine months). Changes in the average length of sedentary bouts, proportion of time in sedentary behaviours and number of sedentary bouts were evaluated using mixed-model ANOVAs. At baseline, both groups undertook 67 ± 13 sedentary bouts and spent 69% ± 6% of their time in sedentary behaviours. Compared with control, the intervention group decreased the number of sedentary bouts by 24% and the proportion of time in sedentary behaviours by 7% (p < 0.001). Significant changes were not observed between the groups for average length of sedentary bouts. The PA intervention led to a decrease in the number of sedentary bouts and proportion of time in sedentary behaviours. Future research should investigate PA coaching interventions designed to target simultaneous changes in MVPA and sedentary behaviours.
| S-EPMC8196832 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveGamification broadly refers to the use of game design elements in non-game contexts with the goal of promoting users' engagement. Gamification strategies appear as an advantageous tool to increase the motivation and involvement of users. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify studies using gamification strategies in distinct intervention contexts and to describe their impact in each type of intervention. Thus, the focus is on the construct (gamification) rather than on a particular area or population.ResultsTo achieve this goal, Scopus, IEEE, Web of Science, MEDLINE, ERIC, and PsycINFO databases will be used to gather data for the systematic review. Both the research and report of results will be based on Cochrane's recommendations and PRISMA guidelines. Data, including the assessment on the quality of the articles, will be conducted by two members of the team independently. Findings will be reported narratively. The ethical approval is not required as the research does not involve data collection. Findings will be submitted to a peer-review journal and the results will be presented on international congresses. Future reviews could consider investigating particular areas of intervention in which gamification strategies are being employed. Trial registration Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42017070508.
| S-EPMC6387509 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disproportionately affects black men who have sex with men (MSM), yet there are few evidence-based interventions specifically designed for black MSM communities. In response, the authors created Real Talk, a technology-delivered, sexual health program for black MSM.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to determine whether Real Talk positively affected risk reduction intentions, disclosure practices, condom use, and overall risk reduction sexual practices.MethodsThe study used a quasi-experimental, 2-arm methodology. During the first session, participants completed a baseline assessment, used Real Talk (intervention condition) or reviewed 4 sexual health brochures (the standard of care control condition), and completed a 10-minute user-satisfaction survey. Six months later, participants from both conditions returned to complete the follow-up assessment.ResultsA total of 226 participants were enrolled in the study, and 144 completed the 6-month follow-up. Real Talk participants were more likely to disagree that they had intended in the last 6 months to bottom without a condom with a partner of unknown status (mean difference=-0.608, P=.02), have anal sex without a condom with a positive man who was on HIV medications (mean difference=-0.471, P=.055), have their partner pull out when bottoming with a partner of unknown HIV status (mean difference=-0.651, P=.03), and pull out when topping a partner of unknown status (mean difference=-0.644, P=.03). Real Talk participants were also significantly more likely to disagree with the statement "I will sometimes lie about my HIV status with people I am going to have sex with" (mean difference=-0.411, P=.04). In terms of attitudes toward HIV prevention, men in the control group were significantly more likely to agree that they had less concern about becoming HIV positive because of the availability of antiretroviral medications (mean difference=0.778, P=.03) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PReP) (mean difference=0.658, P=.05). There were, however, no significant differences between Real Talk and control participants regarding actual condom use or other risk reduction strategies.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that Real Talk supports engagement on HIV prevention issues. The lack of behavior findings may relate to insufficient study power or the fact that a 2-hour, standalone intervention may be insufficient to motivate behavioral change. In conclusion, we argue that Real Talk's modular format facilitates its utilization within a broader array of prevention activities and may contribute to higher PReP utilization in black MSM communities.
| S-EPMC5676034 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Healthy 4U-2 randomised controlled trial demonstrated that a physical activity (PA) telephone coaching intervention was effective for improving objectively-measured PA and health-related outcomes. The current study reports on an economic evaluation performed alongside the trial to determine whether this effective intervention is also cost-effective from a healthcare funder perspective. Participants (N = 120) were insufficiently physically active adults recruited from an ambulatory care clinic in a public hospital in regional Australia. The primary outcome was change in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) measured using accelerometers. Changes in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were derived from the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-12). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated for each outcome. Uncertainty of cost-effectiveness results were estimated using non-parametric bootstrapping techniques and sensitivity analyses. The mean intervention cost was $132 per person. The control group incurred higher overall costs compared to intervention ($2,465 vs. $1,743, respectively). Relative to control, the intervention resulted in incremental improvements in MVPA and QALYs and was deemed cost-effective. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that compared to control, the intervention would be cost-effective for improving MVPA and QALYs at very low willingness to pay thresholds. Sensitivity analyses indicated that results were robust to varied assumptions. This study shows that PA telephone coaching was a low-cost strategy for increasing MVPA and QALYs in insufficiently active ambulatory hospital patients. Findings of health benefits and overall cost-savings are uncommon and PA telephone coaching offers a potentially cost-effective investment to produce important public health outcomes.
| S-EPMC9223391 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOnline social networks offer considerable potential for delivery of socially influential health behavior change interventions.ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy, engagement, and feasibility of an online social networking physical activity intervention with pedometers delivered via Facebook app.MethodsA total of 110 adults with a mean age of 35.6 years (SD 12.4) were recruited online in teams of 3 to 8 friends. Teams were randomly allocated to receive access to a 50-day online social networking physical activity intervention which included self-monitoring, social elements, and pedometers ("Active Team" Facebook app; n=51 individuals, 12 teams) or a wait-listed control condition (n=59 individuals, 13 teams). Assessments were undertaken online at baseline, 8 weeks, and 20 weeks. The primary outcome measure was self-reported weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Secondary outcomes were weekly walking, vigorous physical activity time, moderate physical activity time, overall quality of life, and mental health quality of life. Analyses were undertaken using random-effects mixed modeling, accounting for potential clustering at the team level. Usage statistics were reported descriptively to determine engagement and feasibility.ResultsAt the 8-week follow-up, the intervention participants had significantly increased their total weekly MVPA by 135 minutes relative to the control group (P=.03), due primarily to increases in walking time (155 min/week increase relative to controls, P<.001). However, statistical differences between groups for total weekly MVPA and walking time were lost at the 20-week follow-up. There were no significant changes in vigorous physical activity, nor overall quality of life or mental health quality of life at either time point. High levels of engagement with the intervention, and particularly the self-monitoring features, were observed.ConclusionsAn online, social networking physical activity intervention with pedometers can produce sizable short-term physical activity changes. Future work is needed to determine how to maintain behavior change in the longer term, how to reach at-need populations, and how to disseminate such interventions on a mass scale.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12614000488606; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=366239 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ZVtu6TMz).
| S-EPMC4526990 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Earthquakes far from tectonic plate boundaries generally exploit ancient faults, but not all intraplate faults are equally active. The North American Great Plains exemplify such intraplate earthquake localization, with both natural and induced seismicity generally clustered in discrete zones. Here we use seismic velocity, gravity and topography to generate a 3D lithospheric density model of the region; subsequent finite-element modelling shows that seismicity focuses in regions of high-gravity-derived deviatoric stress. Furthermore, predicted principal stress directions generally align with those observed independently in earthquake moment tensors and borehole breakouts. Body forces therefore appear to control the state of stress and thus the location and style of intraplate earthquakes in the central United States with no influence from mantle convection or crustal weakness necessary. These results show that mapping where gravitational body forces encourage seismicity is crucial to understanding and appraising intraplate seismic hazard.
| S-EPMC5321685 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A 4-week lifestyle program called Women's Active Living for Koreans (WALK) was designed for Korean American women to promote physical activity (PA). In a pilot-controlled trial, 40 women were randomized to WALK-regular or WALK-plus. WALK-plus involved joining an online community via a social media app. WALK-plus performed significantly higher numbers of days of muscle-strengthening activities than WALK-regular at the post-intervention visit. Both groups increased vigorous activities and walking and decreased sedentary behaviors on weekdays. WALK program showed great potential in improving PA and decreasing sedentary behaviors. Online social networking may have an additional effect on PA among this population.
| S-EPMC8442627 | biostudies-literature