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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Sep 2;23(1):1697.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16541-7.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the long-term effects of physical activity interventions on objectively measured outcomes

J Gasana  1 , T O'Keeffe  2 , T M Withers  3 , C J Greaves  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the long-term effects of physical activity interventions on objectively measured outcomes

J Gasana et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Although physical activity interventions are frequently reported to be effective, long-term changes are needed to generate meaningful health benefits. There are criticisms that evaluations of physical activity interventions mostly report short-term outcomes and that these are often self-reported rather than measured objectively. This study therefore aimed to assess the long-term (at least 24 month) effectiveness of behavioural interventions on objectively measured physical activity.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review with a meta-analysis of effects on objectively measured physical activity. We searched: Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL and Pubmed up to 10th January 2022. Studies were included if they were in English and included a physical intervention that assessed physical activity in the long-term (defined as at least 24 months).

Results: Eight studies with 8480 participants were identified with data suitable for meta-analysis. There was a significant effect of interventions on daily steps 24 months post baseline (four studies, SMD: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.28) with similar results at 36 to 48 months of follow up (four studies, SMD: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.27). There was a significant effect of interventions on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 24 months post baseline (four studies, SMD: 0.18 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.29) and at 36 to 48 months (three studies, SMD: 0.16 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.23). The mean effect size was small. However, the changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and steps per day were clinically meaningful in the best-performing studies.

Conclusion: This review suggests that behavioural interventions can be effective in promoting small, but clinically meaningful increases in objectively measured physical activity for up to 48 months. There is therefore a need to develop interventions that can achieve greater increases in long-term physical activity with greater efficiency.

Keywords: Adults; Objective outcome measure; Physical activity intervention; Randomised control trials; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prisma flow diagram of included studies
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Meta-analysis of daily steps; control compared to intervention at 24 months
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Meta-analysis of minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity; control compared to intervention at 24 months follow up
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Meta-analysis of daily steps; control compared to intervention at 36–48 months
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Meta-analysis of minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity; control compared to intervention at 36–48 months
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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