Effects of a walking program using the "WalkON" mobile app among college students

Area of Science:

• Health Promotion
• Behavioral Science
• Digital Health

Background:

• College students often exhibit low engagement in physical activity.
• Promoting physical activity is crucial for managing stress and improving overall health in this demographic.
• Mobile health interventions offer scalable solutions for health promotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of a 12-week mobile app-based walking program (WalkON) on college students.
• To assess the program's impact on sleep quality, anxiety levels, health responsibility, and self-efficacy.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group, pre/post design was employed.
• The study involved 50 participants in the experimental group and 52 in the control group.
• The intervention period ran from September to December 2022.

Main Results:

• The experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in sleep quality (p=.027) and reduced anxiety (p=.020) compared to the control group.
• Participants in the WalkON program demonstrated significant increases in health responsibility (p=.005) and self-efficacy (p=.046).

Conclusions:

• The WalkON program effectively promotes physical activity and health-promoting behaviors among college students.
• This mobile app-based intervention is a promising strategy for enhancing the physical and mental health of inactive students.
• The findings support the use of digital tools for encouraging regular physical activity, particularly in post-pandemic contactless environments.