Abstract
Most adolescents do not achieve the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), placing them at increased risk for a diverse array of chronic diseases in adulthood. There is a great need for scalable and effective interventions that can increase MVPA in adolescents. Here we report the results of a measurement validation study and a preliminary proof-of-concept experiment testing the impact of Zamzee, an accelerometer-linked online intervention system that combines proximal performance feedback and incentive motivation features to promote MVPA. In a calibration study that parametrically varied levels of physical activity in 31 12-14 year-old children, the Zamzee activity meter was shown to provide a valid measure of MVPA (sensitivity in detecting MVPA = 85.9%, specificity = 97.5%, and r = .94 correspondence with the benchmark RT3 accelerometer system; all p < .0001). In a subsequent randomized controlled multi-site experiment involving 182 middle school-aged children assessed for MVPA over 6 wks, intent-to-treat analyses found that those who received access to the Zamzee intervention had average MVPA levels 54% greater than those of a passive control group (p < 0.0001) and 68% greater than those of an active control group that received access to a commercially available active videogame (p < .0001). Zamzee’s effects on MVPA did not diminish significantly over the course of the 6-wk study period, and were statistically significant in both females and males, and in normal- vs. high-BMI subgroups. These results provide promising initial indications that combining the Zamzee activity meter with online proximal performance feedback and incentive motivation features can positively impact MVPA levels in adolescents.
Highlights
Sub-optimal physical activity in youth has been identified as a major public health challenge [1,2,3]
Results identified no significant BMI x Group interaction for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (p = .9146), and Zamzee intervention effects on MVPA remained highly significant in analyses that included BMI group as a factor (p < .0001). These results indicate that the Zamzee activity meter provides a valid measure of moderate-tovigorous physical activity (MVPA), and that the Zamzee system can increase MVPA rates in 11–14 year-old children by > 50% over a 6-wk period
Zamzee intervention effects on MVPA did not diminish significantly over the course of the 6-wk study period, and were statistically significant in both males and females and in both normal- and high-BMI subgroups. These findings provide a promising proof-ofconcept indication that the Zamzee system’s combination of comprehensive activity monitoring, online feedback, and incentive motivation can increase MVPA in a community sample of middle school-aged American youth
Summary
Sub-optimal physical activity in youth has been identified as a major public health challenge [1,2,3]. Recent estimates indicate that only 6–8% of U.S adolescents achieve the CDC-. Online Intervention for Adolescent Physical Activity other conflicting interest in the scientific results of this study. Santech Inc. provided support in the form of a salary for author SKT, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the author contributions section
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