The effectiveness of an incentivized physical activity programme (Active Student) among female medical students in...

To determine the efficacy of an incentive-based approach combined with a smartphone application in promoting physical activity and weight-loss among female medical students, and to explore among them psychological effects pertaining to self-esteem, guilt, body-shaming, and perception of physical beauty.

The pilot, randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, Pakistan, from March to May 2017, and comprised female students who were randomly allocated to either the incentivized or the non-incentivized group. The incentivized group was given a weekly financial incentive based on the required level of physical activity, measured each week for five weeks using Moves application. All subjects completed several questionnaires covering secondary outcomes at the end of the trial. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis.

Of the 56 subjects, there were 28(50%) in each of the two groups. The use of financial incentives combined with the smartphone application did not result in a significant increase in physical activity (p>0.05). However, within-group weight-loss at the end of intervention was significant for both the groups (p<0.05). There was no significant change in the number of steps in the control group during the course of intervention (p>0.05), but there was a significant decline in the number of steps in intervention group from weeks 4 and 5 compared to the baseline physical activity (p<0.05).

Financial incentives combined with a smartphone app designed to track physical activity did not promote physical activity or decrease obesity.