2025, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (8): 1693-1704

Effects of wearable electronic device-based interventions on physical activity and sedentary behavior in healthy adolescents: a meta-analysis

Wang Yida1, Liu Jun1, Wang Xiaoling1, Wang Liyan2, Yang Chengru1, Zhang Xuexiao3   

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Although wearable electronic devices have demonstrated potential utility as intervention tools to enhance physical activity, comprehensive evaluations of their specific effects on the healthy adolescent population remain scarce. Consequently, this article aims to systematically explore and summarize the impact of interventions based on wearable electronic devices on the physical activity and sedentary behavior of healthy adolescents, thereby providing more precise and reliable evidence-based support for public health practices.
METHODS: Randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of wearable electronic device-based interventions on the physical activity and sedentary behavior of healthy adolescents were retrieved from databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, and EBSCO. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4 and Stata 17, evaluating the effects of interventions on physical activity and sedentary behavior through the standardized mean difference. To ensure the robustness of the research findings, a Leave-One-Out sensitivity analysis was conducted, and subgroup analyses were carried out to explore the potential influence of different factors on the results. The review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42023406645).
RESULTS: (1) Twelve publications were ultimately included, consisting of three randomized controlled trials and nine cluster-randomized controlled trials, involving a total of 4 933 healthy adolescents. (2) Meta-analysis results revealed that interventions based on wearable electronic devices had a positive effect on moderate to vigorous physical activity [standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.10; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04 to 0.17; P < 0.05). However, the interventions did not significantly improve low-intensity physical activity (SMD=-0.15; 95% CI: -0.32 to 0.02; P > 0.05), daily step count (SMD=0.13; 95% CI: -0.65 to 0.91; P > 0.05), and sedentary behavior (SMD=0.00; 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.09; P > 0.05). (3) Subgroup analyses indicated that short-term interventions (≤ 12 weeks) (SMD=0.11; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.18; P=0.008), studies using pedometers worn at the waist or hip (SMD=0.10; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.17; P=0.002), and experiments registered at clinical trial centers (SMD=0.11; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.17; P=0.001) had a more significant effect on enhancing daily moderate to vigorous physical activity.
CONCLUSION: The current evidence suggests that interventions based on wearable electronic devices possess certain advantages in enhancing the daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of healthy adolescents. It is recommended that interventions not exceeding 12 weeks and utilizing pedometers positioned at the waist or hip may yield more favorable results. However, the effects of these interventions on daily step count, low-intensity physical activity, and sedentary behavior exhibit some limitations. Consequently, future investigations necessitate higher-quality, larger-scale randomized controlled trials for further validation.
Key words: wearable electronic devices, healthy adolescents, moderate to vigorous physical activity, sedentary behavior, light physical activity, daily steps, randomized controlled trial, cluster randomized controlled trial, Meta-analysis