Digital Coaching Motivating Towards Physical Activity in Japan During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 influenced peoples lives enormously and its impact was also seen in physical activity and exercising. This mixed methods intervention study highlights some of the impact the pandemic had on the physical activity and exercising behaviors of 10 Japanese information systems employees and students. This study also focuses on the influence that using sport and wellness technology digital coaching had on peoples’ physical activity, exercise motivation and exercise self-efficacy during the pandemic. Based on the findings digital coaching can have motivational elements to support people towards a more physically active lifestyle for example by making users more aware of their own physical activity. However, digital coaching is not enough if users do not have initial motivation which may be understandable in the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings highlight that digital coaching could be further developed to better support its users. This study and the results bring insight for digital coaching developers and users as well as people working in health care field.