Ted Vickey*, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland Track: Research Presentation Topic: Persuasive communication and technology Presentation Type: Oral presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School Room: A-Pechet Room Date: 2012-09-15 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM Last modified: 2012-09-12

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Background: Studies have indicated that “lack of motivation” is a key factor in why a person does not exercise. While various mobile fitness apps monitor and track a person’s exercise characteristics (MapMyFitness, Nike+, etc.), the effectiveness of online sharing via social networks of one’s physical activity has yet to be fully understood. Our research aims to leverage correlations between online social networking and effective exercise motivation and adherence.

Objective: Understanding one’s social network may be one key to better health, as technology continues to impact humanity. There is little research and few best practices on the effective use of advanced web technologies to increase exercise adherence. Mobile fitness apps not only allows for the sharing of information between user and health care providers, but also with a user’s friends. One way to share this health data is through a microblogging service such as Twitter.
It is our hypothesis that the current methods of the sharing of a workout using Twitter will have only minimal effect on exercise adherence over time as there will be a decrease in sustained usage that is not long enough to create a new exercise habit.

Methods: We have collected over 4.5 million tweets sent via mobile fitness applications and categorized them into three different classifications (Activity, Blarney, Conversation) using the Vickey-Breslin Classification Model.

Results: For each person who shared a workout online, we have the ability to analyze their social network structure and determine their online influence, fitness classification, exercise intensity, exercise duration and motivation.

Conclusion: We examined how the use of advanced web social technologies may effectively address the lack of motivation excuse and thus increase exercise adherence/general health by a review of mobile fitness apps with regards to exercise adherence; an analysis of social networking with regards to exercise adherence; an analysis of improved health/fitness measures; and an analysis of feedback mechanisms in health. Whilst the self-reporting and data collection of workouts using mobile fitness apps is an important first step of bridging better health through technology, the current mobile fitness apps lack overall persuasive attributes for the general public to maintain exercise motivation solely by continued use of the mobile fitness app.