(394) Text Message Interventions for Physical Activity among University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Trainee Category: Graduate Student

Objective : Evidence supports the effectiveness of text messaging as a tool to address behavior change for public health issues, including physical activity. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of text messaging interventions to promote physical activity among university students.

Methods: A structured, electronic search was conducted in October 2022, using PsycINFO, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscuss, CINAHL through the EBSCO interface and Web of Science, to select experimental studies focusing on text messaging interventions for physical activity. Studies in the same study design were included in several meta-analyses for different outcomes.

Results: Among 20 studies included in the systematic review, 15 (75%) of these were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and ten (50%) studies focused on university students younger than 30 or 35 years old. In the university setting, texts were commonly sent on a daily basis for 2-6 weeks and were incorporated into various physical activity programs. The meta-analyses of RCTs indicated that text messaging interventions resulted in significantly greater total metabolic equivalent of task (MET) (n=3, SMD=0.67, p<0.001). However, for the analysis of intervention effects on Body Mass Index, statistically significant differences were not observed in RCTs (n=3, SMD=-0.15, p=0.08).

Conclusions: Positive effects of text messaging on university students' physical activity have been observed for MET but not for other outcomes. Text messaging intervention studies with well-controlled study designs are needed to further examine the associations and identify characteristics of effective texts among university students.