Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
05:59
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
7.1K
Predicting Engagement and Retention During an Online Theory-Based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among
Daniel J Phipps1,2, Weldon T Green1, Taru Lintunen1
1Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland.
European Journal of Sport Science
|October 9, 2025
Summary
Engaging inactive families in online physical activity interventions is challenging. Higher autonomous motivation and specific demographics predict better engagement, but reaching less motivated individuals requires further strategies.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
- Digital Health
Background:
- Insufficient physical activity is a significant global health issue.
- Evidence-based behavior change interventions are crucial but face engagement challenges.
- Understanding participant engagement in online interventions is vital for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors predicting engagement and retention in an online physical activity intervention.
- To examine predictors such as autonomous motivation, demographics, and recruitment source.
- To inform strategies for improving physical activity intervention effectiveness in families.
Main Methods:
- Recruited inactive parent-child dyads from the Finnish population.
- Assigned participants to an online intervention or wait-list control group.
- Utilized partial least squares regression to analyze predictors of retention and engagement.
Main Results:
- Higher autonomous motivation, maternal gender, social media recruitment, and university education predicted intervention retention.
- Autonomously motivated parents, fathers, parents of daughters, and university-educated parents showed higher session attendance.
- Findings indicate that already motivated individuals are more likely to engage.
Conclusions:
- Autonomous motivation and demographic factors significantly influence engagement in online physical activity interventions.
- The study highlights challenges in reaching and engaging less motivated, inactive families.
- Future research needs to focus on strategies to improve adherence and retention in underserved populations.
