Effectiveness of an achievement goal theory-based mobile intervention for increasing physical activity among college students: A randomised controlled trial

Although it is well known that regular physical activity is beneficial to physical and psychological health, the physical activity levels of adults and college students worldwide remain insufficient, and few studies have applied the achievement goal theory to a mobile health environment to verify its effectiveness. Therefore, this study examined the effects of a mobile intervention based on the achievement goal theory to improve college students’ physical activity. Specifically, this study compared the effects of mastery- and performance-oriented messages on participants’ walking behaviour. A total of 87 South Korean university students (mean age = 22.59 ± 2.00 years; 56.3% men) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: mastery-oriented (n = 29), performance-oriented (n = 29), or control (n = 29). During the eight-week intervention period, the mastery-oriented group received nudging messages emphasising self-referential goals and personal growth, whereas the performance-oriented group received messages emphasising social comparison and competition. The control group did not receive any motivational messages. Walking duration, distance, and frequency were objectively measured using the Nike Run Club mobile application. The results showed significant differences between groups in walking duration (p = .006), distance (p = .021), and frequency (p = .021). More specifically, the mastery-oriented group showed significantly better performance on all three measurement indicators than the control group, but there was no significant difference between the performance-oriented and control groups. These results emphasise the potential of mobile interventions to promote physical activity by promoting intrinsic motivation and self-referential growth with mastery-based motivational messages. Therefore, practitioners and health experts should integrate mastery-oriented nudge strategies into mobile health platforms to promote sustainable physical activity participation among young adults.