Hindawi Publishing Corporation BioMed Research International Volume 2016, Article ID 1546013, 6 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/1546013
Research Article Effect of Motivation by (Instagram) on Adherence to Physical Activity among Female College Students Einas Al-Eisa,1 Asma Al-Rushud,2 Ahmad Alghadir,1 Shahnawaz Anwer,1,3 Bashayer Al-Harbi,2 Noha Al-Sughaier,2 Noha Al-Yoseef,2 Reem Al-Otaibi,2 and Hanadi Ali Al-Muhaysin2 1
Rehabilitation Research Chair, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia 3 Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune 411026, India 2
Correspondence should be addressed to Shahnawaz Anwer; anwer [email protected] Received 16 November 2015; Accepted 4 February 2016 Academic Editor: Danilo S. Bocalini Copyright © 2016 Einas Al-Eisa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective. To investigate the efficacy of using “Instagram application” with a “home-exercise program” as a motivational stimulus in improving physical activity (PA) adherence levels among female college students. Methods. Fifty-eight female undergraduate students with the mean age 20.3 ± 0.96 years participated. Participants were divided into two groups: intervention and the control group; both the groups received an exercise program and the intervention group was additionally motivated by “Instagram.” Adherence to PA was measured by using an adherence sheet. The Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI-2) was used to assess the motivational factors. Results. The most frequent motivational factors were extrinsic as assessed using the EMI-2. “Positive health” was the most frequent factor mentioned of the two types with 47% of the sample. The intervention group adhered with 17% more to the activity program compared to the control group. Moreover, 72% of the participants in the intervention and control groups found the activity program flexible enough to be performed at home; they agreed about its effectiveness on adherence (53%). Conclusions. The use of Instagram with the home exercise program as a motivational modality could be attractive and effective to reinforce adherence and maintain an appropriate PA level.
1. Introduction Adherence to physical activity (PA) leads to improvements in physical function and quality of life [1]. The adherence is one of the most important factors in order to get the desired benefits of PA. The role of the PA has been welldiscussed in several studies and found to aid prevention of many health disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases and obesity [2, 3]. Regular exercise, in particular, helps protect against debilitating and costly chronic conditions as well and to achieve the optimum level of quality of life [4]. Adherence to PA must be improved in order to improve health prospects. The adherence to the PA has been found to be extremely low in the Saudi population, particularly among young females [5]. This poor adherence could be attributable to lack of knowledge about the benefits of exercise
or even many related social and personal factors as well as cultural factors [6]. The dangers of physical inactivity have been outlined in many studies as it is one of the most important public health problems of the 21st century [7]. For example, physically inactive middle-aged women (performed less than 1 hour of exercise per week) experienced 52% increased all-cause mortality, a doubling of cardiovascular related mortality and 29% increased cancer-related mortality compared with the physically active women [8]. Motivation for PA could be defined as the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to the initiation and the maintenance of a PA program or any type of exercise [9]. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are those performed for satisfaction one gains from engaging in the activity itself. By contrast, extrinsically motivated behaviors are those
2 performed in order to get rewards or results that are separate from the behavior itself [10]. There are many different ways that have been used to increase the adherence level to the PA and the home exercise programs are an effective motivational way [11]. Previous studies reported positive effect of using electronic media and mobile phone applications to enhance motivation in improving adherence among participants [12– 14]. Fukuoka et al. [12] investigated the use of mobile phone based intervention to improve physical activity in sedentary women. They concluded that the mobile phone based intervention seems to motivate inactive women to improve their physical activity. Another study reported significant effects of Internet and mobile phone based motivation to improve the level of physical activity in healthy adults [13]. In addition, Turner-McGrievy et al. reported some potential benefits of mobile phone monitoring methods during weight reduction intervention in overweight adults [14]. The present study aimed primarily to investigate the efficacy of using social media “Instagram application” with a “home exercise program” as a motivational stimulus in improving PA adherence levels among Saudi female college students and secondarily to measure the motivational factors that influences their engagement or continued participation in an exercise program.
BioMed Research International Table 1: The exercise motivation inventory-2 questionnaire. Subscales
Number of items
Stress management Revitalization
4 3
Enjoyment
4
Challenge
4
Social Recognition
4
Affiliation
4
Competition
4
Health pressures
3
Ill-health avoidance Positive health Weight management Appearance Strength and endurance Nimbleness
3 3 4 4 4 3
Sample questions To release tension To recharge my batteries To enjoy the social aspects of exercising To give me personal challenges to face To gain recognition for my accomplishments To spend time with friends Because I like trying to win in physical activities To help prevent an illness that runs in my family To avoid ill-health To feel more healthy To help control my weight To improve my appearance To get stronger To stay/become flexible
2. Methods Fifty-eight undergraduate female students from the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS), King Saud University, Riyadh, participated in this quasi-experimental study. Selfselection sampling method was used. The selected sample was mostly newcomers to exercise and the time of study was in the second semester of the academic year and the designed program started before the middle of the semester at the period of first midterm exams. They were assigned into two groups in a nonrandomized way. The inclusion criteria were as follows: the participants should have online social network (Instagram) accounts, female students in the age range from 18 to 25 years. The participants were excluded if they are pregnant and had any medical problems. The purpose and procedure of the study and the activity program were explained and demonstrated to each participant. Each participant who agreed to participate signed written informed consent approved by the institutional ethics committee. Anthropometric parameters including body weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. The participants wore simple clothing and had no footwear. Height was measured using a fixed stadiometer (resolution of 0.5 cm). The weight was measured with Beurer glass diagnostic scale (resolution of 0.1 kg). The BMI was estimated using the formula: weight (kg)/height (m)2 . Each participant asked to respond to the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) questionnaire [15, 16]. The EMI-2 is made up of 51 items that constitute 14 subscales, which provide extensive measure of motivation to engage in physical activity. Table 1 details the lists of subscales, number of items, and sample questions. Each item was answered on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all true for me) to 5 (very
true for me) [15]. In addition, an exercise video which is freely available on the YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=fcN37TxBE s) was played which consisted of 37 minutes of cardio workout. This workout was lower to moderate intensity and is made for the beginners. The participants were divided into two groups the intervention group (Instagram group) and the control group. The intervention group had an online social network (Instagram) accounts; however, control group had no such account. An email was sent to all of the participants about the date for returning the adherence sheet and only the intervention group received the study account in Instagram and was required to follow it. A variety of techniques were used in Instagram to improve motivation for adherence to PA. First, a small number of pictures were posted to educate the participants about the benefits of PA such as benefits of exercise on bone density, back pain, stress, and mood. Secondly, Instagram was used as an alarm, to remind them to do the exercise sessions at each week. They asked to post their own pictures of adherence sheet when they complete the session in order to motivate other participants to do the exercise. In addition, they received the exercise program video link (can be accessed on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcN37TxBE s); this was an exercise video from Fitness Blender Cardio Workout at Home, which was a 37-minute, Fat Burning Cardio Workout, 3 in difficulty. It focused mainly on the lower body and was also generally for all the body. It consists of a warmup, workout, and a cool down at the end of the video. This activity is designed to be performed at home without any need for any exercise equipment or registration in a gym and this type of activity was moderate intensity physical activity, 150 minutes per week according to the 2008 Physical
BioMed Research International
3
Table 2: Demographic data of the participants.
Age (years) 19 20 21 22 Weight (kg) Height (cm) BMI (kg/m2 ) Underweight
Research Article Effect of Motivation by (Instagram) on Adherence to Physical Activity among Female College Students Einas Al-Eisa,1 Asma Al-Rushud,2 Ahmad Alghadir,1 Shahnawaz Anwer,1,3 Bashayer Al-Harbi,2 Noha Al-Sughaier,2 Noha Al-Yoseef,2 Reem Al-Otaibi,2 and Hanadi Ali Al-Muhaysin2 1
Rehabilitation Research Chair, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia 3 Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune 411026, India 2
Correspondence should be addressed to Shahnawaz Anwer; anwer [email protected] Received 16 November 2015; Accepted 4 February 2016 Academic Editor: Danilo S. Bocalini Copyright © 2016 Einas Al-Eisa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective. To investigate the efficacy of using “Instagram application” with a “home-exercise program” as a motivational stimulus in improving physical activity (PA) adherence levels among female college students. Methods. Fifty-eight female undergraduate students with the mean age 20.3 ± 0.96 years participated. Participants were divided into two groups: intervention and the control group; both the groups received an exercise program and the intervention group was additionally motivated by “Instagram.” Adherence to PA was measured by using an adherence sheet. The Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI-2) was used to assess the motivational factors. Results. The most frequent motivational factors were extrinsic as assessed using the EMI-2. “Positive health” was the most frequent factor mentioned of the two types with 47% of the sample. The intervention group adhered with 17% more to the activity program compared to the control group. Moreover, 72% of the participants in the intervention and control groups found the activity program flexible enough to be performed at home; they agreed about its effectiveness on adherence (53%). Conclusions. The use of Instagram with the home exercise program as a motivational modality could be attractive and effective to reinforce adherence and maintain an appropriate PA level.
1. Introduction Adherence to physical activity (PA) leads to improvements in physical function and quality of life [1]. The adherence is one of the most important factors in order to get the desired benefits of PA. The role of the PA has been welldiscussed in several studies and found to aid prevention of many health disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases and obesity [2, 3]. Regular exercise, in particular, helps protect against debilitating and costly chronic conditions as well and to achieve the optimum level of quality of life [4]. Adherence to PA must be improved in order to improve health prospects. The adherence to the PA has been found to be extremely low in the Saudi population, particularly among young females [5]. This poor adherence could be attributable to lack of knowledge about the benefits of exercise
or even many related social and personal factors as well as cultural factors [6]. The dangers of physical inactivity have been outlined in many studies as it is one of the most important public health problems of the 21st century [7]. For example, physically inactive middle-aged women (performed less than 1 hour of exercise per week) experienced 52% increased all-cause mortality, a doubling of cardiovascular related mortality and 29% increased cancer-related mortality compared with the physically active women [8]. Motivation for PA could be defined as the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to the initiation and the maintenance of a PA program or any type of exercise [9]. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are those performed for satisfaction one gains from engaging in the activity itself. By contrast, extrinsically motivated behaviors are those
2 performed in order to get rewards or results that are separate from the behavior itself [10]. There are many different ways that have been used to increase the adherence level to the PA and the home exercise programs are an effective motivational way [11]. Previous studies reported positive effect of using electronic media and mobile phone applications to enhance motivation in improving adherence among participants [12– 14]. Fukuoka et al. [12] investigated the use of mobile phone based intervention to improve physical activity in sedentary women. They concluded that the mobile phone based intervention seems to motivate inactive women to improve their physical activity. Another study reported significant effects of Internet and mobile phone based motivation to improve the level of physical activity in healthy adults [13]. In addition, Turner-McGrievy et al. reported some potential benefits of mobile phone monitoring methods during weight reduction intervention in overweight adults [14]. The present study aimed primarily to investigate the efficacy of using social media “Instagram application” with a “home exercise program” as a motivational stimulus in improving PA adherence levels among Saudi female college students and secondarily to measure the motivational factors that influences their engagement or continued participation in an exercise program.
BioMed Research International Table 1: The exercise motivation inventory-2 questionnaire. Subscales
Number of items
Stress management Revitalization
4 3
Enjoyment
4
Challenge
4
Social Recognition
4
Affiliation
4
Competition
4
Health pressures
3
Ill-health avoidance Positive health Weight management Appearance Strength and endurance Nimbleness
3 3 4 4 4 3
Sample questions To release tension To recharge my batteries To enjoy the social aspects of exercising To give me personal challenges to face To gain recognition for my accomplishments To spend time with friends Because I like trying to win in physical activities To help prevent an illness that runs in my family To avoid ill-health To feel more healthy To help control my weight To improve my appearance To get stronger To stay/become flexible
2. Methods Fifty-eight undergraduate female students from the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS), King Saud University, Riyadh, participated in this quasi-experimental study. Selfselection sampling method was used. The selected sample was mostly newcomers to exercise and the time of study was in the second semester of the academic year and the designed program started before the middle of the semester at the period of first midterm exams. They were assigned into two groups in a nonrandomized way. The inclusion criteria were as follows: the participants should have online social network (Instagram) accounts, female students in the age range from 18 to 25 years. The participants were excluded if they are pregnant and had any medical problems. The purpose and procedure of the study and the activity program were explained and demonstrated to each participant. Each participant who agreed to participate signed written informed consent approved by the institutional ethics committee. Anthropometric parameters including body weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. The participants wore simple clothing and had no footwear. Height was measured using a fixed stadiometer (resolution of 0.5 cm). The weight was measured with Beurer glass diagnostic scale (resolution of 0.1 kg). The BMI was estimated using the formula: weight (kg)/height (m)2 . Each participant asked to respond to the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) questionnaire [15, 16]. The EMI-2 is made up of 51 items that constitute 14 subscales, which provide extensive measure of motivation to engage in physical activity. Table 1 details the lists of subscales, number of items, and sample questions. Each item was answered on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all true for me) to 5 (very
true for me) [15]. In addition, an exercise video which is freely available on the YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=fcN37TxBE s) was played which consisted of 37 minutes of cardio workout. This workout was lower to moderate intensity and is made for the beginners. The participants were divided into two groups the intervention group (Instagram group) and the control group. The intervention group had an online social network (Instagram) accounts; however, control group had no such account. An email was sent to all of the participants about the date for returning the adherence sheet and only the intervention group received the study account in Instagram and was required to follow it. A variety of techniques were used in Instagram to improve motivation for adherence to PA. First, a small number of pictures were posted to educate the participants about the benefits of PA such as benefits of exercise on bone density, back pain, stress, and mood. Secondly, Instagram was used as an alarm, to remind them to do the exercise sessions at each week. They asked to post their own pictures of adherence sheet when they complete the session in order to motivate other participants to do the exercise. In addition, they received the exercise program video link (can be accessed on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcN37TxBE s); this was an exercise video from Fitness Blender Cardio Workout at Home, which was a 37-minute, Fat Burning Cardio Workout, 3 in difficulty. It focused mainly on the lower body and was also generally for all the body. It consists of a warmup, workout, and a cool down at the end of the video. This activity is designed to be performed at home without any need for any exercise equipment or registration in a gym and this type of activity was moderate intensity physical activity, 150 minutes per week according to the 2008 Physical
BioMed Research International
3
Table 2: Demographic data of the participants.
Age (years) 19 20 21 22 Weight (kg) Height (cm) BMI (kg/m2 ) Underweight
