Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2022 May 23;19(1):59.
doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01261-9.

The effectiveness of physical activity interventions using activity trackers during or after inpatient care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Marijke E de Leeuwerk  1   2 , Petra Bor  3 , Hidde P van der Ploeg  4 , Vincent de Groot  5   6   7 , Marike van der Schaaf #  8   9   10 , Marike van der Leeden #  5   8 ; OPRAH consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The effectiveness of physical activity interventions using activity trackers during or after inpatient care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Marijke E de Leeuwerk et al. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. .

Abstract

Background: Promoting physical activity (PA) in patients during and/or after an inpatient stay appears important but challenging. Interventions using activity trackers seem promising to increase PA and enhance recovery of physical functioning.

Objective: To review the effectiveness of physical activity interventions using activity trackers on improving PA and physical functioning, compared to usual care in patients during and/or after inpatient care. In addition, it was determined whether the following intervention characteristics increase the effectiveness of these interventions: the number of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used, the use of a theoretical model or the addition of coaching by a health professional.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources: PubMed, EMBASE, Cinahl, SportDiscus and Web of Science databases were searched in March 2020 and updated in March 2021.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including interventions using activity trackers and feedback on PA in adult patients during, or less than 3 months after, hospitalization or inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods: Following database search and title and abstract screening, articles were screened on full text for eligibility and then assessed for risk of bias by using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Meta-analyses, including subgroup analysis on intervention characteristics, were conducted for the outcomes PA and physical functioning.

Results: Overall, 21 RCTs totalling 2355 patients were included. The trials covered a variety of clinical areas. There was considerable heterogeneity between studies. For the 13 studies that measured PA as an outcome variable(N = 1435), a significant small positive effect in favour of the intervention was found (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.34; 95%CI 0.12-0.56). For the 13 studies that measured physical functioning as an outcome variable (N = 1415) no significant effect was found (SMD = 0.09; 95%CI -0.02 - 0.19). Effectiveness on PA seems to improve by providing the intervention both during and after the inpatient period and by using a theoretical model, multiple BCTs and coaching by a health professional.

Conclusion: Interventions using activity trackers during and/or after inpatient care can be effective in increasing the level of PA. However, these improvements did not necessarily translate into improvements in physical functioning. Several intervention characteristics were found to increase the effectiveness of PA interventions.

Trial registration: Registered in PROSPERO ( CRD42020175977 ) on March 23th, 2020.

Keywords: Activity tracker; Hospitalization; Physical activity; Physical functioning; Rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of selected studies (PRISMA)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot for the outcome physical activity
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot for outcome performance based physical functioning
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot for patient reported outcome measure of physical functioning
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cabilan CJ, Hines S. The short-term impact of colorectal cancer treatment on physical activity, functional status and quality of life: a systematic review. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017;15(2). 10.11124/jbisrir-2016003282. - PubMed
    1. van Zutphen M, Winkels RM, van Duijnhoven FJ, van Harten-Gerritsen SA, Kok DE, van Duijvendijk P, et al. An increase in physical activity after colorectal cancer surgery is associated with improved recovery of physical functioning: a prospective cohort study. BMC Cancer. 2017;17(1). 10.1186/s12885-017-3066-2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lawrence VA, Hazuda HP, Cornell JE, Pederson T, Bradshaw PT, Mulrow CD, et al. Functional independence after major abdominal surgery in the elderly. J Am Coll Surg. 2004;199(5). 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2004.05.280. - PubMed
    1. Hara T, Kubo A. Relationship between physical activity and function in elderly patients discharged after surgical treatment for gastrointestinal cancer. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(9). 10.1589/jpts.27.2931. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Askim T, Bernhardt J, Churilov L, Fredriksen KR, Indredavik B. Changes in physical activity and related functional and disability levels in the first six months after stroke: a longitudinal follow-up study. J Rehabil Med. 2013;45(5). 10.2340/16501977-1137. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources