Advancing Physical Activity Behavior Change: The Potential of Serious Digital Health Technologies

Enhancing physical activity (PA) promotion with (gamified) digital health technologies (DHTs; e.g., electronic/mobile health applications or exergames) stands out as a promising and scalable solution to help counteract the high prevalence of physical inactivity and/or sedentary behavior. Despite the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity and efforts to increase PA globally, directives like "engage in this level of PA" or "exercise more" in existing guidelines often fail at promoting sustainable behavior change. The prevalent high levels of physical inactivity have not only negative effects on the individual (e.g., higher risk for non-communicable disease) but also on the societal level (e.g., higher healthcare costs), emphasizing the need for innovative and effective interventions to tackle the public health issue of physical inactivity.

Emerging evidence suggests that (gamified) DHTs are effective to overcome physical inactivity and/or sedentary behavior in the short-term. There is also initial evidence suggesting that the positive effect on PA behavior can persist over extended follow-up periods. This is relevant in both physical activity promotion and the use of structured physical activity interventions (i.e., exercise, training) in health promotion and disease prevention. The observed effects on PA behavior have been, however, relatively modest, and diminished over time, so further research is necessary to substantiate (or refute) these findings and shed more light into the optimal design of such interventions to foster sustained behavior change.

This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how DHTs can be effectively employed to promote lasting behavior change in PA. It seeks to answer questions around designing interventions that sustain changes beyond the impact of novelty, the integration of affective judgment, and the role of routine creation in habit formation. The objective is to explore various design elements and mechanisms that influence PA adoption and long-term adherence, thus addressing the critical gap between PA promotion and maintenance.

To gather further insights in the potential of DHTs for PA behavior change, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• the conceptualization, design, and/or development of serious DHT-enhanced PA or exercise interventions based on behavior-change theories,
• the examination of which and how design elements of such DHT-enhanced interventions can support habit formation, overcoming physical inactivity and/or sedentary behavior, and, in particular, consolidation of behavior changes,
• empirical evaluations on the (in)effectiveness of serious DHT-enhanced PA or exercise interventions based on behavior-change theories to influence outcomes related to: a) behavior change, including but not limited to PA or exercise motivation, ambulatory PA behavior, or adherence to PA or rehabilitation interventions; b) outcomes of brain health (including behavioral outcomes on cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioural and motor domains as well
as physiological and neuroimaging outcomes).

Only articles concerning serious DHT-enhanced PA interventions and outcomes related to behavior-change frameworks and theories will be considered.

This Research Topic welcomes the following article types: Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, Mini Review, Hypothesis and Theory, Perspective, Clinical Trial, Conceptual Analysis, Opinion, Technology and Code, and Study Protocol.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Enjoyment, Engagement, Exercise, Exergaming, Game Design, Health Promotion, Motivation, Public Health, Telemedicine, Treatment Adherence and Compliance, Sedentary Behavior

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.