Effects of wearable technology on mental engagement and physical activity participation: self-regulatory motivation, attitude, flow, and dropout in new sport participation

초록

Background Wearable devices have emerged as promising tools for monitoring physical activity and supporting health management, yet their psychological effects on individuals newly engaged in sport participation remain underexplored.Objective This study aimed to examine differences in self-regulatory motivation, participation attitude, flow, and dropout according to wearable device usage patterns among new sport participants.Methods Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 226 new sport participants in South Korea, categorized into three groups by wearable device usage patterns: sharing-and-using, using-only, and non-using. Multivariate analyses of variance with post-hoc tests were conducted.Results The wearable device usage groups demonstrated higher intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, lower amotivation, and higher perseverance, cognitive flow, and behavioral flow than the non-using group, whereas proactiveness showed no significant difference. Regarding dropout, only the using-only group demonstrated significantly lower levels than the non-using group.Conclusion These findings suggest that wearable devices can positively influence the psychological experiences and exercise participation of new sports participants. However, the data sharing function could lead to negative experiences, such as social comparison and psychological burden. Therefore, to maximize the effectiveness of wearable devices, tailored utilization strategies that consider individual user characteristics and exercise experience levels are necessary.

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