Digital motivation: fitness apps and student physical activity

Objective: The study aims to investigate the influence of fitness apps on physical activity and intrinsic motivation for exercise among students. Amid growing digitalization and a decline in physical activity among young people, finding effective ways to use digital technologies to increase motivation for physical activity is of particular relevance. Methodology: The study involved 100 university students (aged 18-25) randomly assigned into control and experimental groups of 50 each. For 12 weeks, the experimental group used the Adidas Running fitness app selected deliberately according to MARS criteria, while the control group led a normal lifestyle. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using quantitative (analysis of physical activity data) and qualitative (surveys) methods. The study used validated instruments, including the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (BPNES), the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), and the Self-Organization of Activity Scale (SOA). Results: The results show a significant increase in physical activity in the experimental group (by 36.7%) compared to the control group (5.4%, p<0.001). The experimental group also showed a statistically significant improvement in intrinsic motivation and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (p<0.001). Qualitative analysis shows a positive impact of social functions and gamification on students' motivation. Conclusions: The study provides evidence of the effectiveness of using digital technologies to increase students' physical activity and intrinsic motivation. The findings have important practical implications for developing strategies to increase physical activity among young people and can be applied to develop physical education programs in higher education institutions.