The effect of reporting the steps and objective evaluation using SNS application on daily steps

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lifestyle intervention by the concurrent use of LINE and an accelerometer on daily steps.

Methods: Fourteen healthy college students (male: n = 6, female: n = 8, 22.0 ± 0.1 years) participated in this study. As preliminary test, all participants were asked to wear an accelerometer for one week, in order to grasp their daily steps. After that, participants were assigned to recording paper group (R group, n = 7) and LINE intervention group (L group, n = 7) while considering daily steps and gender ratio. The intervention periods were two weeks. All participants were required to wear the accelerometer, check their daily steps in the day, and set target steps each day until morning (AM 10:30) during intervention. Participants in R group were asked to record their previous and target steps on the paper. In contrast, participants in L group were asked to inform the researcher them using LINE. Moreover, L group were commented and fed back the data about their daily steps from the researcher every day. After two weeks of intervention, all participants answered questionnaire about their lifestyle intervention.

Results: Although no significant interaction of group and time was detected (p = 0.642), the daily steps at Week 2 were significantly greater than those at preliminary test (changes in daily steps, R group: 2,900 ± 868 steps/day, L group: 1,129 ± 650 steps/day, p = 0.036).

Conclusion: Inform the daily steps to other people using LINE might play one of useful strategy to increase physical activity as well as recording paper by oneself.