Fitness trackers: A tool to help stimulate motivation for long term health or is it just a craze?
Continuous innovations surrounding technology has undeniably led the youth of today to be subjected to much more sedentary behavior and lifestyles than advocated. Leatherdale and Ahmend’s (2011) case study reveals that young people are clocking up an average of 7-8 hours daily in front of a screen. Children crave the latest, most up to date technology including wearable fitness trackers that “tend to be affordable, easy-to-use and almost always incorporate a fitness-driven ‘game’ element” (Fitness trackers for Kids). And that was the opportunity Niantic exploited in the summer of 2016 when they released a global phenomenon in the app ‘Pokémon Go’. It was downloaded more than 500 million times worldwide and soon became one of the most profitable and used apps in 2016, and was credited with its efforts in promoting physical activity within the world of reality gaming. Schwartz (2016) appraised the spectacle by stating “it was secretly the best exercise app out there and that it could be the greatest unintentional health craze ever”.
So, was the sensation of the app comprehensively a way of motivating the inactive population?
According to Weinberg and Gould (2007), skill development, fun, excitement, fitness and success are all key aspects to help stimulate motivation. Nevertheless, are these aspects not what Pokémon Go has achieved through its short existence? Schwartz’s (2016) article reinforces the belief that it has encouraged motivation within individuals to become more physically active by creating a new challenge which has been able to reach the low activity population.
In Addition to apps of this amplitude, high end companies such as Nike, Apple and Fitbit are promoting wearable fitness trackers that endorse goal setting motives, but not quite to the extent of catching Pokémon in your local park. Although, whether you pay between £100 and £200 for these fought after devices, you are simply buying a tool to help aid your exertion. It’s pretty self-explanatory, JAMA (2016) insinuates that a fitness tracker is straightforwardly a tool that tracks form, and behind every tool they have to be used correctly to acquire a constructive outcome. Consumers tend to research and consider product reviews of the latest devices on the market, as the development of technology moves a lot faster than vigorous scientific research. Although there is not enough stone cold scientific research to prove that devices can assess the exact amount of steps or calories you need to burn to lose weight. Is it possible for the devices to account for that individual’s body functions differently, from the amount of calories they burn whilst being physical active to how our body breaks down and absorbs calorific energy? There are many more dimensions of personal health and physical activity, which need to be catered for rather than working on a one size fits all prescription which is suppressed behind the ideology of trackers.
So due to these aspects, is fitness technology a way of promoting physical activity levels worldwide, and can motivation levels be sustained for a prolonged amount of time? However, is there sufficient evidence to prove that an individual’s loss in motivation can stem from a craze being so short lived, or is it a possibility to lose motivation through the lack of social reinforcement within society? Finkenberg (2008) helps highlight that the rewards may be short lived, and once the novelty has worn off or the goal has been achieved, the activity can cease altogether. Even through the continuous growth within digital market, could the technology surrounding fitness trackers manifest a solution to encourage consumers long term health.
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Reference list:
Fitness Trackers for Kids (2015) Best Fitness tracker reviews. [Online] Available at http://www.bestfitnesstrackerreviews.com/fitness-trackers-for-kids.html (last accessed 12/10/2016)
Finkenberg, M. (2008) Future Choices, Future Trends in Technology in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Quest. v60 n4. p434-442
John M. Jakicic, PhD1; Kelliann K. Davis, PhD1; Renee J. Rogers, PhD1; et al (2016) Effect of Wearable Technology Combined With a Lifestyle Intervention on Long-term Weight Loss. Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). 316(11):1161-1171
Leatherdale and Ahmend (2011) cited in Martin, N., Coleman, E & Heinrichs, D. (2015) Innovative Ways to Use Modern Technology to Enhance, rather than Hinder, Physical Activity among Youth. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. 86 (4), 46-53
Schwartz, T. (2016) Pokémon Go Is Secretly the Best Exercise App Out There. IGN. [Online] Available at http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/07/09/pokemon-go-is-secretly-the-best-exercise-app-out-there (Last accessed 19/10/2016)
Weinberg, R.& and Gould, D. (2007) Motivation: Foundations of sport and exercise psychology: 4th edition. United States: Human Kinetics.