AUTHOR=Cai Jie , Li Gang TITLE=Exercise or lie down? The impact of fitness app use on users' wellbeing JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=11 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1281323 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1281323 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Introduction

The use of fitness apps is becoming more and more widespread, and its impact on people's well-being has received more and more attention.

Methods

The relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being and the influence mechanism was explored using structural equation modeling with upward social comparison as the mediating variable and self-control as the moderating variable.

Results

The questionnaire survey of 1,452 fitness app users over 18 years old shows that: (1) fitness app use is associated with users' well-being; (2) upward social comparison plays a mediating role in the relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being; (3) self-control has a moderating effect on the relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being.

Discussion

Self-control plays a significant moderating role between social comparison and well-being, upward social comparison can improve the well-being of high self-control users but reduce the well-being of low self-control users.