Understanding the effects of self-peer-platform incentives on users' physical activity in mobile fitness apps: the role of gender
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 20 May 2021
Issue publication date: 1 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile fitness apps (MFAs) are increasingly popular for people to promote physical activity (PA) and further enhance health status via behavioral change techniques (BCTs), but the phenomenon of users abandoning MFAs is still common. For improving users' PA and decreasing dropout rates of MFAs, this study intends to gain insights into the effects of major BCTs-based incentive factors on users' PA under MFAs context and the gender differences in their effects.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on self-determination theory, three major incentive factors were chosen from the perspective of self-peer-platform incentives, i.e. self-monitoring (SM), social support (SS) and platform rewards (PR). A dataset of 4,530 users from a popular mobile fitness app was collected and was analyzed using fixed effects models.
Findings
The results show that all three types of incentive factors are positively associated with users' PA. The estimated effect sizes can be ordered as: SM > PR > SS. Moreover, social support has a stronger positive impact on PA of females than males, whereas platform rewards have a weaker positive effect on PA of females than males. In addition, the results also indicate there are no significant gender differences in the effect of self-monitoring.
Originality/value
There is insufficient research on systematically examining the effects of different types of incentive factors of MFAs on users' PA in one study. This study extends the current understanding of incentive factors by simultaneously examining different incentive factors and the role of gender. The findings can also provide insightful guidance for the design of MFAs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Plan of China (Grant No: 2017YFB1400101), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No: 71872013, 71572013, 71432002, 71602009, 72072011), Beijing Municipal Social Science Foundation (Grant No:18JDGLB040) and Joint Development Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education.
Citation
Yin, Q., Li, L., Yan, Z. and Guo, C. (2022), "Understanding the effects of self-peer-platform incentives on users' physical activity in mobile fitness apps: the role of gender", Information Technology & People, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 1054-1072. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-10-2020-0705
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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