Introduction
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to examine the impacts of standalone
gamified smartphone application-delivered interventions on physical activity.
Methods
Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ACM Digital Library were searched for
publications that were published between January 1, 2008 and August 31, 2021. Eligibility
criteria were RCTs or single-arm pre-to-post interventions delivered by standalone
gamified applications and targeting physical activity. Study-specific results were
analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis, with a standardized mean difference.
Meta-regressions, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were performed. PRISMA
guidelines were followed, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development
and Evaluation system was used to determine the strength of the evidence.
Results
A total of 19 studies with 24 gamified applications were eligible, and 16 studies
were included in the meta-analysis. Standalone gamified applications had a small-to-moderate
effect on physical activity in both the between-group RCTs (n=12 applications, standardized mean difference=0.34, 95% CI=0.06, 0.62, I2=72%, p<0.01; Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation: moderate)
and the within-group pre-to-post interventions (n=18 applications, standardized mean difference=0.38, 95% CI=0.17, 0.59, I2=74%, p<0.01; Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation: very low).
Leave-one-out sensitivity analyses sustained the main effects with lower heterogeneity
(I2 of 31.0% and 47.8%, respectively).
Discussion
Using gamified smartphone applications as standalone interventions may increase physical
activity. Future research could investigate the impacts of gamified applications on
physical activity by isolating the role of specific single or clustered groups of
application features.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: December 07, 2021
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© 2021 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
