This document describes a smartphone app created to increase physical activity in low-income communities by combating social barriers. The app provides access to local exercise classes, workout partners, and trainers. It is aimed at low-income groups that rely heavily on smartphones. The app design incorporates features like finding partners for specific exercises, browsing certified trainers in the area, and viewing community-posted pickup games. The goal is to motivate physical activity through social elements like competition and cooperation between users.

1. Overcoming Social Barriers to Physical Inactivity in Low-Income Communities:
A Smartphone App Intervention
John Horigan
Dept. of Kinesiology, San Jose State University
Purpose
The purpose of this project was to create a
smartphone app that combats the social
barriers of physical inactivity by increasing
the accessibility to exercise and physical
activity in one’s immediate area. This is
done in three different ways; access to local
recreational sporting activities, workout
partners, and professional trainers. This
app can be used by low-income
communities who have grown dependent
on smartphones as a critical resource in
daily functioning.
• Health disparities (CDC, 2001): low SES
communities are at risk for multiple chronic
diseases and illnesses, as well as physical
inactivity.
• “Smartphone Dependent”
(PewResearchCenter, 2015): Due to financial
constraints, low SES communities are
growing dependent on internet resources
provided by smartphones.
• The Kohler Effect (Lount et al., 2008):
Phenomenon that seeks to explain why
individuals work harder within a
group/team to attain a particular goal, more
so than individually.
Review of Literature
Kohler Effect:
Competition (Kerr, 2007):
• Case Study: Men and women participants showed more
motivational gains when they were competing against athletes of a
different sex.
Cooperation (Erwin, Feltz, & Kerr, 2011):
• Case study: Participants maintained longer persistence within a
conjunctive-group exercise environment when given an extrinsic
valued motivator (money). However, participants maintained
longer persistence more so than the paid group when they were
not motivated through money, leading to intrinsic value ranking
higher within motivation.
Collaboration (Osborn, 2012):
• Case study: Athlete participants that were involved in high school
sports showed greater motivational gain when they felt inferior to
team members in their respective events.
BackgroundBackground
Review of Literature Smartphone Application Menus and Features
Figure 2: Main menu
Displays main icons (orange), secondary icons (red and “+” icon)
a “feed” header (top), and a function banner (bottom).
The banner above continuously updates throughout the day
providing relevant information to the users i.e. weather, sports.
Figure 1: Login Screen
Prototypical menu for
basic information
Figure 3: “Buddy Up!” Screen
This screen allows the user to find people in
the area that are wanting a workout partner
for particular exercises.
Figure 4: Proceeding screen
These filters allow users to find the type of
workout partner they want at that particular
time. Users can create posts for workouts
that users in the area are not doing at
particular times.
Figure 5: “The Pros” screen
This screen advertises a wide range of
all certified trainers in one’s area,
filtered by either goal, gym or location
Figure 6: “Let’s Play!”
This screen shows pickup games in the area that
users have posted and confirmed upon attending.
It can be filtered by sport, location, time, and
confirmed attendees.
Figure 7: Remaining menus and
features: (From left to right) event
page, message, usage and completion
statistics (profile), and contacts
Center for Disease Control. Health Disparities & Inequalities Report. 2013.
Feltz, D. L., Kerr, N. L., & Irwin, B. C. (2011). Buddy up: The köhler effect applied to
health games. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 33(4), 506-526.
Irwin, B., Scorniaenchi, J., Kerr, N., Eisenmann, J., & Feltz, D. (2012). Aerobic exercise
is promoted when individual performance affects the group: A test of the Kohler
motivation gain effect. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 44(2), 151-159.
Kerr, N. L., Messé, L. A., Seok, D., Sambolec, E. J., Lount, R. B. J., & Park, E. S. (2007).
Psychological mechanisms underlying the köhler motivation gain. Personality and
Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(6), 828-841.
Middelweerd, A., Mollee, J., van der Wal, C., Brug, J., & te Velde, S. (2014). Apps to
promote physical activity among adults: A review and content analysis. International
Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, 11(1), 1-15.
Osborn, K. A., Irwin, B. C., Skogsberg, N. J., & Feltz, D. L. (2012). The köhler effect:
Motivation gains and losses in real sports groups. Sport, Exercise, and Performance
Psychology, 1(4), 242-253.
U.S. smartphone use in 2015. (2015). Pew Research Center.
Selected References