The Effect of the ERVE Smartphone App on Physical Activity, Quality of Life, Self-Efficacy, and Exercise Motivation for Inactive People: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Physical inactivity has a major negative health effect worldwide. Mobile health apps may help promote active living. This study aimed to examine the effects of a smartphone app based on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines and a theory called exercise prescription and education (ERVE as abbreviated in the original Turkish) on physical activity, quality of life, self-efficacy, and exercise motivation for inactive people. Methods: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The 128 participants were randomly allocated to either the experimental group or control group in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the experimental group received the ERVE smartphone app. No intervention was applied to the participants in the control group. The primary outcomes included self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, and motivational orientation for exercise. Secondary outcomes were body mass index (BMI) and levels of physical activity. Results: The per-protocol analysis revealed that participants in the experimental group reported an increase in behavior initiation, physical functioning, vitality, mental health, general health perception, and intrinsic regulation compared to the control group. Also, the app showed efficacy in reducing the BMI of the participants in the experimental group (p < .05). Conclusions: The ERVE smartphone-based app seems to be a promising tool to promote physical activity, improve the quality of life, increase self-efficacy beliefs in the initiation of behaviors, and provide intrinsic motivation in sedentary individuals, at least in the short-term.