mHealth Self-Report Monitoring Using the Technology Acceptance Model in Competitive Middle- and Long-Distance Runners: Qualitative Study of Long-Term Use Intentions (Preprint)

Abstract

International middle- and long-distance running competitions attract millions of spectators in association with city races, world championships, and Olympic Games. It is therefore a major concern that ill health and pain as a result of sports overuse lead to numerous hours of lost training and decreased performance among competitive runners. Despite its potential for sustenance of performance, approval of mHealth self-report monitoring (mHSM) in this group of athletes has not been investigated.

To explore individual and situational factors associated with acceptance of long-term mHSM among competitive runners.

The study used qualitative research methods with the Technology Acceptance Model as the theoretical foundation. The study population included 20 middle- and long-distance runners competing at national and international levels. Two mHSM applications asking for health and training data from track and marathon runners were created on a platform for web survey development (Briteback ABTM). Data collection for the technology acceptance analysis was performed by personal interviews before and after a 6-week monitoring period. Pre-use interviews investigated experience and knowledge of mHealth monitoring and thoughts on benefits and possible side effects. The post-use interviews addressed usability and usefulness, attitudes toward non-functional issues, and intentions to adhere to long-term monitoring. In addition, the runners’ trustworthiness when providing mHSM data was discussed. The interview data were investigated using a deductive thematic analysis.

The mHSM applications were considered technically easy to use. Although the runners read the instructions and entered data effortlessly, some still perceived mHSM as problematic. Concerns were raised about the selection of items for monitoring (eg, recording training load as running distance or time) and with interpretation of concepts (eg, whether subjective well-being should encompass only the running context or daily living on the whole). Usefulness of specific mHSM applications was consequently not appraised on the same bases in different sub-categories of runners. Regarding non-functional issues, the runners competing at international level requested detailed control over who in their sports club and national federation should be allowed access to their data; the less competitive runners had no such issues. Notwithstanding, the runners were willing to adhere to long-term mHSM provided the technology was adjusted to their personal routines and the output was perceived as contributing to running performance.

Achieving sustainable adherence to long-term mHSM among competitive runners requires clear definitions of monitoring purpose and population, repeated in-practice tests of monitoring items and terminology, and meticulousness regarding data-sharing routines. Further naturalistic studies of mHSM use in routine sports practice settings are needed, with non-functional ethical and legal issues included in the evaluation designs. Keywords: Long-distance running, mobile health technologies, self-reported health, web-based monitoring, evaluation, qualitative methods, thematic analysis.