A Fitness App for Monitoring Walking Behavior and Perception (Runkeeper): Mixed Methods Pilot Study

Attitudes, Barriers, and Motivators Toward Daily Walking and a Mobile App to Increase Walking Among Women: Web-Based Anonymous Survey

BACKGROUND

There are disparities in the prevalence of physical activity (PA) with women engaging in less PA than men, a gap which widens during midlife. Walking is a generally accepted form of PA among women and should be encouraged. Motivations, barriers, and attitudes to engaging in walking change with age, but the influencing factors are not well understood nor are the features of mobile apps that facilitate daily walking.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the relationship between age and women's self-reported motivations, barriers, attitudes, and beliefs toward daily walking. It further assesses attitudes toward features of a mobile app designed to sync with a wearable step tracker to increase and maintain levels of daily walking among women.

METHODS

A web-based anonymous survey was completed by 400 women, aged 21-75 years. The 31-item survey captured women's perceived barriers and motivators toward daily walking and attitudes toward mobile apps to support and maintain daily walking. For analysis, responses to the survey were grouped into 2 categories of women: ages 21-49 years and ages 50-75 years. Bivariate analyses were conducted through SPSS (IBM Corp) for each of the survey questions using chi-square for dichotomous variables and 1-tailed t tests for scales and continuous variables to identify significant differences between the groups. One-tailed t tests were run for scaled variables to identify significant differences between the 10-year age increments.

RESULTS

Significant barriers to daily walking were observed in the 21-49-year group for personal and work responsibilities, motivational and psychosocial factors, and physical and environmental factors. Motivators to walk daily in the 21- 49-year group were significantly higher to reduce stress and anxiety, and motivators to walk daily in the 50-75-year group were significantly higher to help manage or lose weight and to reduce the risk of chronic illness. Women's walking preferences, beliefs around their walking behaviors, and their perceived importance of the features of a future mobile app for walking designed specifically for women showed significant variation according to age. When asked about the importance of features for a mobile app, women aged 21-49 years indicated a significantly higher number of positive responses for the following features: digital community support, rewards or point system, and seeing a daily or weekly or monthly progress chart.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that barriers, motivators, and beliefs around daily walking and the importance of preferred features of a mobile app vary according to women's ages. Messaging and app features should be tailored to different age groups of women. These study results can be viewed as a foundation for future research and development of mobile health interventions to effectively increase daily walking among women of all ages.

Neighborhood social cohesion and physical activity and obesity outcomes among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals

OBJECTIVE

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) individuals report high obesity rates and low physical activity (PA) levels. This study examined associations between neighborhood social cohesion, obesity, and PA among NHPI adults.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the 2014 NHPI National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. Social cohesion was assessed using a summative scale and categorized as low, medium, and high. PA was measured via self-report and categorized as insufficiently active (0-149 min/wk) or sufficiently active (150+ min/wk). Obesity status was based on self-reported height and weight measures converted into standard BMI categories. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated odds of obesity and sufficient PA associated with social cohesion level.

RESULTS

The study sample included n = 2,590 NHPI adults. Compared with those in low social cohesion neighborhoods, participants in high social cohesion neighborhoods had increased sufficient PA odds (odds ratio [OR] = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.19-2.12; p = 0.003) and decreased obesity odds (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.40-0.83; p = 0.005). No associations were observed between social cohesion and obesity and PA outcomes comparing individuals in medium versus low social cohesion neighborhoods.

CONCLUSIONS

High social cohesion was associated with reduced obesity odds and increased sufficient PA odds. Findings highlight the importance of enhancing social connectivity as a potential strategy to promote PA and healthy weight among NHPI individuals.