Associations between commercial physical activity app use, app specific communities, social media platforms and physical activity engagement: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: Commercial physical activity apps (e.g., Fitbit, Strava) have widespread reach and accessibility, and hold great potential to increase physical activity engagement. There is currently limited understanding of the capacity of such apps, and their social components to facilitate physical activity engagement. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between commercial physical activity app use and physical activity engagement. The social components of apps, in particular, app-specific communities (connecting with other app users) and existing social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) were also examined in relation to physical activity levels. This included ascertaining the specific features (e.g., sharing, providing/ receiving encouragement, comparisons and
competitions) of app-specific communities and existing social media platforms that were most beneficial in promoting physical activity.