Sedentary behaviour among university students: A mobile app pilot intervention

Abstract

Sedentary behaviour (SB) poses a number of health risks (Katzmarzyk et al., 2009) and university students in particular are at risk of engaging in prolonged SB. Due to the pervasiveness of smartphones, mobile apps may be used to encourage less SB in this population. The purpose of this study was to pilot a SB app among undergraduates. Participants (n=177) first completed an online survey that included self-reported levels of SB and experiences with apps. Following this, participants were asked to participate in a follow-up study and were randomly assigned to a trial group (used the app Rise & Recharge® for 2 weeks; n=53) or a control group (n=74). After 2 weeks, participants in trial (n=18) and control groups (n=38) completed a second online survey that repeated the self-report SB questions. Participants in the trial group responded to additional questions about their app experience. A two-way mixed ANOVA was conducted on data for participants who had SB data at both time points. This yielded a significant interaction between group and time (F(1,35)=5.59, p=0.02, np2=0.14) in which the trial group (n=11) had lower SB at Time 2 than the control (n=26) group. Despite this, participants in the trial group rated the app as only 'slightly influential'. Further, students' open-ended responses showed that they perceive a lack of control over their own SB due to the demands of university. Overall, this study provides insight into SB among university students, and sheds light on the potential of using apps to influence this behaviour.