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Personal Health, Fitness Technologies, and Games

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A special issue of Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (ISSN 2414-4088).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 28575

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Derek L. Hansen

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Guest Editor

IT & Cybersecurity, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84604, USA
Interests: human computer interaction; serious games; educational simulations; social network analysis; social media

Dr. Jerry Alan Fails

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Guest Editor

Department of Computer Science, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
Interests: human-computer interaction; participatory design; technologies with and for children; online search tools for children; security and privacy for children; fitness technologies for children

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Despite good intentions, we rarely live up to our health and fitness aspirations. Although technology is often seen as a cause of unhealthy and inactive lifestyles, it can also help us achieve our goals and have fun in the process. New technologies offer a range of technologies and platforms on which to innovate: health and fitness trackers, exergames, smartwatches, mobile apps, social websites, augmented reality, embedded systems, and more. The aims of these technologies are equally diverse: they help users track activity; they entertain or distract us from the physical activity; they encourage engagement with the outdoors; they educate people about health needs or best practices; or they persuasively encourage better health and fitness activities through technologically enabled support mechanisms including social interactions, challenges, narratives, or goal setting and accomplishments. The aim of this Issue is to share research that relates to health and fitness technologies that benefit users from various perspectives.

Dr. Derek L. Hansen
Dr. Jerry Alan Fails
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fitness technologies
personal health applications
fitness games
exergames
physical activity
augmented reality
outdoor technology
persuasive technologies

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Steps and Game Elements in Gamified Fitness Tracker Apps: A Systematic Review

by Aatish Neupane, Derek Hansen, Jerry Alan Fails and Anud Sharma

Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2021, 5(2), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti5020005 - 22 Jan 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7405

Abstract

This article reviews 103 gamified fitness tracker apps (Android and iOS) that incorporate step count data into gameplay. Games are labeled with a set of 13 game elements as well as meta-data from the app stores (e.g., avg rating, number of reviews). Network clustering and visualizations are used to identify the relationship between game elements that occur in the same games. A taxonomy of how steps are used as rewards is provided, along with example games. An existing taxonomy of how games use currency is also mapped to step-based games. We show that many games use the triad of Social Influence, Competition, and Challenges, with Social Influence being the most common game element. We also identify holes in the design space, such as games that include a Plot element (e.g., Collaboration and Plot only co-occur in one game). Games that use Real-Life Incentives (e.g., allow you to translate steps into dollars or discounts) were surprisingly common, but relatively simple in their gameplay. We differentiate between task-contingent rewards (including completion-contingent and engagement-contingent) and performance-contingent rewards, illustrating the differences with fitness apps. We also demonstrate the value of treating steps as currency by mapping an existing currency-based taxonomy onto step-based games and providing illustrations of nine different categories. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Personal Health, Fitness Technologies, and Games)

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14 pages, 2903 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Chongchong Step Master Game for Gait and Balance Training

by Yongjoo Cho and Kyoung Shin Park

Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2020, 4(3), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4030056 - 18 Aug 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4061

Abstract

Exercise can help to improve health, strengthen vitality and prevent brain disease, especially for the elderly. Exercise games, or exergames, which combine both exercise and video gaming, train people in a fun and competitive manner to lead a healthy lifestyle. Exergames promote more physical effort and have the potential to contribute to physical education. This research presents a full-body virtual reality exercise game called the Chongchong Step Master, which is designed to improve gait and balance function and prevent dementia in the elderly. This system used Kinect sensors to accurately recognize the user’s body movements and the stepping board mat to recognize and guide the user’s walking motion. It aims to help the elderly exercise more easily and independently with the virtual physical trainer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Personal Health, Fitness Technologies, and Games)

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31 pages, 2090 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender Preference and Difference in Behavior Modeling in Fitness Applications: A Mixed-Method Approach

by Kiemute Oyibo and Julita Vassileva

Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2020, 4(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4020021 - 22 May 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5128

Abstract

In recent years, the employment of behavior models to motivate behavior change has become a global trend in fitness application design. However, there is hardly any large-scale study of these applications to understand users’ exercise-type preferences, their drivers and barriers, and the potential of employing them for gender-based tailoring. To bridge this gap, we conducted a mixed-method study among 669 participants to investigate users’ exercise-type preferences (their drivers and barriers) and how they and gender can impact users’ social-cognitive beliefs and projected performance of bodyweight exercises. Firstly, we presented to the study participants a behavior model performing push-up or squat bodyweight exercise in a fitness application and asked them to rate their perceived self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectation, and projected (exercise) performance level as observers of the behavior model. Secondly, we presented the study participants with a preselected list of commonly employed exercise types in fitness applications and requested them to identify their most/least preferred, and the reasons behind their choices. Our results showed that there were differences between both genders in their exercise-type preferences, perceived self-efficacy and projected exercise performance level. Males prefer push-up, squat, crunch, plank, and chair dip the most, with effectiveness being the most important driver, followed by ease of performance and improvement of the physique, look, and appearance. On the other hand, females prefer squat, crunch, jumping jack, step up, and plank the most, with ease of performance being the most important driver, followed by improvement of the physique, look, appearance, and effectiveness. Moreover, males prefer running in place the least, while females prefer push-up the least, with perceived difficulty being the greatest barrier for both genders. Moreover, our analysis of variance supported the female’s least preference for a push-up. Females have a lower perceived self-efficacy and projected performance level for push-up than males. We discussed the implications of our findings and provided guidelines for tailoring fitness applications on the market to users’ preferences and gender. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Personal Health, Fitness Technologies, and Games)

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19 pages, 2360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Persuasive Features that Drive the Adoption of a Fitness Application and the Moderating Effect of Age and Gender

by Kiemute Oyibo and Julita Vassileva

Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2020, 4(2), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4020017 - 11 May 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5487

Abstract

Fitness apps equipped with various persuasive features have become popular worldwide due to the physical inactivity crisis. However, there is a limited understanding of the most important persuasive features that drive their adoption and the moderating effect of age and gender. To bridge this gap, we designed storyboards illustrating six of the commonly employed persuasive strategies in persuasive health applications: Goal-Setting/Self-Monitoring, Reward, Social Learning, Social Comparison, Competition and Cooperation. We conducted an empirical study in which we asked the participants to evaluate their receptiveness to the six persuasive features and their intention to use a fitness app that features them. The result of our Partial Least Square Path Modeling (PLSPM) shows that, overall, Goal-Setting/Self-Monitoring is the strongest predictor of the intention to use a fitness app, followed by Reward and Competition, both of which are in second place. However, Social Learning and Social Comparison turn out to be non-predictors of intention to use. Based on these findings, we recommend that a minimally viable (one-size-fits-all) fitness app, in a personal setting, should support a Goal-Setting/Self-Monitoring feature, coupled with a Reward feature, to increase its appeal to a wide audience. Moreover, in a social setting, it should support a Competition feature to increase its appeal to a wide audience. We discuss these findings and the gender and age differences in the relationships between users’ receptiveness to the six persuasive features and their intention to use a fitness app that support them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Personal Health, Fitness Technologies, and Games)

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Review

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21 pages, 2649 KiB

Open AccessReview

Innovative and Assistive eHealth Technologies for Smart Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Outdoor Spaces for the Elderly Demographic

by Bruno Marques, Jacqueline McIntosh, Alvin Valera and Anuroop Gaddam

Multimodal Technol. Interact. 2020, 4(4), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4040076 - 22 Oct 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5498

Abstract

The use of technology for social connectivity and achieving engagement goals is increasingly essential to the overall well-being of our rapidly ageing population. While much of the extant literature has focused on home automation and indoor remote health monitoring; there is a growing literature that finds personal health and overall well-being improves when physical activities are conducted outdoors. This study presents a review of possible innovative and assistive eHealth technologies suitable for smart therapeutic and rehabilitation outdoor spaces for older persons. The article also presents key performance metrics required of eHealth technologies to ensure robust, timely and reliable biometric data transfer between patients in a therapeutic landscape environment and respective medical centres. A literature review of relevant publications with a primary focus of integrating sensors and eHealth technologies in outdoor spaces to collect and transfer data from the elderly demographic who engage such built landscapes to appropriate stakeholders was conducted. A content analysis was carried out to synthesize outcomes of the literature review. The study finds that research in assistive eHealth technologies and interfaces for outdoor therapeutic spaces is in its nascent stages and has limited generalisability. The level of technology uptake and readiness for smart outdoor spaces is still developing and is currently being outpaced by the growth of elderly fitness zones in public spaces. Further research is needed to explore those eHealth technologies with interactive feedback mechanisms that are suitable for outdoor therapeutic environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Personal Health, Fitness Technologies, and Games)

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