Inactive women using an app and advice added about 2,000 steps a day
They continued walking more over the next six months, but keeping the app offered no advantage over stopping it.
The key idea
The app and advice increased activity at first, and some of that advantage continued. Keeping the app added no more.
The study, in plain language
Starting to move more and sustaining that change are two different questions. This trial randomized 210 women with low physical activity: some received an app and brief personal advice, while others formed a comparison group without that support. Steps and activity minutes were recorded with accelerometers.
During the first three months, groups with the app and advice walked more and did more moderate or vigorous activity. Over the following six months, they remained above the comparison group, though the difference was smaller. Keeping the app showed no firm advantage over stopping it and continuing with the accelerometer. Only inactive women from one region took part, everyone knew what they received, and behavior was observed for nine months.
What they found
- The app was tested together with brief personal advice, so their individual contributions cannot be separated.
- During the first months, groups receiving this support walked more and did more moderate or vigorous activity than the comparison group.
- They remained more active during maintenance, but keeping the app offered no advantage over stopping it and using only the accelerometer.
Something to think about
When you choose an app to help you move, what else comes with it: guidance, goals, or tracking? Here, the app came with support and could not be measured on its own.
How they studied it
Researchers randomized 210 physically inactive adult women in the San Francisco Bay Area to three groups: one comparison group and two groups receiving an app and advice for three months. During the six-month maintenance phase, they compared keeping the app with stopping it while continuing to use the accelerometer. Devices measured daily steps and minutes of moderate or vigorous activity.
What the study cannot show
- The sample included only inactive women from one region, within specific eligible age and health ranges. The app and counseling were provided together, so the app’s isolated effect cannot be separated. The study was open-label, and behavior was observed for nine months.
- The study does not show that an app without counseling would produce the same change, that the effect generalizes to men or other populations, or that the app sustains initial increases over the long term.
The original study
Short- and Long-term Effects of a Mobile Phone App in Conjunction With Brief In-Person Counseling on Physical Activity Among Physically Inactive Women: The mPED Randomized Clinical Trial
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
