Kan een vitaliteitsapp bijdragen aan een betere leefstijl en hoger welbevinden op het werk?

Abstract

Can a vitality app contribute to a better lifestyle and greater well-being at work? Many Dutch people exercise too little. All the while, more exercise seems to be healthy for everyone, and good for the well-being and productivity of employees. Tools such as pedometers and apps appear to be able to support employees who want to exercise more to achieve their wish. In this article, based on a longitudinal study among 126 employees in primary education, we examine the role of a smartphone application that uses activity trackers to improve exercise, well-being and functioning. This vitality app rewards participants financially if they exercise more. The results show that using the app over the course of one year is associated with an improvement in participants’ lifestyle. They exercise more intensively and moderately intensively, and sit slightly less in their free time. The use of the app also seems to contribute indirectly to the work ability of the participants, especially among employees who have become more active during the study period and were previously less active. Longer-term effects are still unclear.