<p>With the advance of mobile technologies, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of “home exercise” has emerged as a trend, and mobile health applications (m-health apps) have been at the center of this trend. M-health apps are mobile applications that are designed to intervene in users’ behaviors and facilitate their physical activity. However, the effects of m-health apps on users’ physical activity are not yet conclusive—the findings of prior studies are mixed. Complementing these prior studies, our study investigates whether watching exercise videos that an m-health app provides (m-health app videos) on day <InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$t-j$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mi>t</mi> <mo>-</mo> <mi>j</mi> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation> is positively associated with the level of physical activity on day <InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$t$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mi>t</mi> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, while controlling for the relationship between the level of physical activity on day <InlineEquation ID="IEq3"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$t-j$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mi>t</mi> <mo>-</mo> <mi>j</mi> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation> and the time spent watching m-health app videos on day <InlineEquation ID="IEq4"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$t$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mi>t</mi> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, where <InlineEquation ID="IEq5"> <EquationSource Format="TEX">$j\in \left\{\text{1,2},\dots ,J\right\}$</EquationSource> <EquationSource Format="MATHML"><math> <mrow> <mi>j</mi> <mo>∈</mo> <mfenced close="}" open="{"> <mtext>1,2</mtext> <mo>,</mo> <mo>⋯</mo> <mo>,</mo> <mi>J</mi> </mfenced> </mrow> </math></EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, by using the panel-vector autoregressive (PVAR) model and impulse response functions (IRFs). From the data of 4725 m-health app users, we find that m-health app videos create a positive spiral (or virtuous cycle) effect. M-health app videos motivate users to engage in physical activity, which in turn persuades them to continue watching m-health app videos and thus continue using the app.</p>

A positive spiral effect of M-health app videos

期刊论文
发表日期：

2025年4月16日

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Junhyoung Oh,
Hyunsung Kim,
Sanghwa Kim,
Byungwan Koh

摘要

With the advance of mobile technologies, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of “home exercise” has emerged as a trend, and mobile health applications (m-health apps) have been at the center of this trend. M-health apps are mobile applications that are designed to intervene in users’ behaviors and facilitate their physical activity. However, the effects of m-health apps on users’ physical activity are not yet conclusive—the findings of prior studies are mixed. Complementing these prior studies, our study investigates whether watching exercise videos that an m-health app provides (m-health app videos) on day $t-j$ $t - j$ is positively associated with the level of physical activity on day $t$ $t$ , while controlling for the relationship between the level of physical activity on day $t-j$ $t - j$ and the time spent watching m-health app videos on day $t$ $t$ , where $j\in \left\{\text{1,2},\dots ,J\right\}$ $j \in \{1,2, \dots, J\}$ , by using the panel-vector autoregressive (PVAR) model and impulse response functions (IRFs). From the data of 4725 m-health app users, we find that m-health app videos create a positive spiral (or virtuous cycle) effect. M-health app videos motivate users to engage in physical activity, which in turn persuades them to continue watching m-health app videos and thus continue using the app.