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Staying Active While Staying Home: The Use of Physical Activity Technologies During Life Disruptions

Newbold, JW; Rudnicka, A; Cox, A; (2021) Staying Active While Staying Home: The Use of Physical Activity Technologies During Life Disruptions. Frontiers in Digital Health , 3 , Article 753115. 10.3389/fdgth.2021.753115. Green open access

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Abstract

One impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns was a restriction on people's ability to engage in physical activity in previously routine ways. This paper presents a two-stage mixed-method study exploring how people used technology to stay physically active during this period. We found that activity trackers reminded people to be active, while virtual coaching (i.e., video tutorials and online classes) helped them stay connected. The lockdown increased people's awareness of their activity levels and removed barriers to exercise, for example by giving them greater control over their time. However, it also created new challenges, with lack of time and space, injuries due to sudden changes in activity, and anxiety around lockdown, putting limits on physical activity. We highlight future directions that must be addressed to maximise the benefits of physical activity technologies for people trying to stay active during major life disruptions.

Type: Article
Title: Staying Active While Staying Home: The Use of Physical Activity Technologies During Life Disruptions
Location: Switzerland
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2021.753115
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2021.753115
Language: English
Additional information: © 2021 Newbold, Rudnicka and Cox. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
Keywords: COVID-19, physical activity, activity tracking, virtual coaching, life disruptions
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > UCL Interaction Centre
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10139384
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