Testing the Mystic School Mobile Application to Promote Active Commuting to School in Spanish Adolescents: The PACO Study
Romina Gisele Saucedo-Araujo,
Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado,
Yaira María Barranco-Ruiz,
Isaac José Pérez-López,
Susana Aznar-Laín,
Palma Chillón,
Manuel Herrador-Colmenero
Affiliations
Romina Gisele Saucedo-Araujo
Department of Physical Education and Sports, PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
Francisco Javier Huertas-Delgado
La Inmaculada Teacher Training Centre, University of Granada, 18013 Granada, Spain
Yaira María Barranco-Ruiz
Department of Physical Education and Sports, PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 52071 Melilla, Spain
Isaac José Pérez-López
Department of Physical Education and Sports, “Educación Física y Transformación Social”, SEJ546 Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Susana Aznar-Laín
PAFS Research Group, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Toledo, Spain
Palma Chillón
Department of Physical Education and Sports, PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
Manuel Herrador-Colmenero
Department of Physical Education and Sports, PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
Active commuting to and/or from school (ACS) is an opportunity to increase daily physical activity (PA) levels in young people. Mobile-device interventions focused on promoting the practice of health-related PA can be more cost-effective than traditional interventions in this population. Objective: To analyze the adolescents’ opinion of the mobile application (app) Mystic School, which was designed to promote ACS in Spanish adolescents. Methods: A total of 44 students (14–15 years old) from Granada and Jaén participated in the test of the Mystic School app during two phases: phase 1 (n = 10) for 2 weeks and phase 2 (n = 34) for 1 month. Each phase included an app presentation, a follow-up, and focus group sessions. The qualitative analysis was carried out through NVivo software. Results: In phase 1, adolescents reported improvements in the design and functioning, such as the avatar movement, virtual steps utilities, and multiplayer function. These suggestions were included in phase 2. After phase 2, adolescents reported that it is important to add the possibility of playing without an Internet connection to the game, to include more competitive options, prizes, and to increase the difficulty of the levels. In both phases, problems with the step number counting remained. Conclusion: The Mystic School app can be a useful tool for the physical education teacher to integrate the content from this curriculum related to the promotion of PA, such as ACS.
