The Effectiveness of Planning Interventions for Improving Physical Activity in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Sanying Peng, Ahmad Tajuddin Othman, Fang Yuan and Jinghong Liang
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Sanying Peng: Physical Education Department, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
Ahmad Tajuddin Othman: School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Fang Yuan: College of International Languages and Cultures, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
Jinghong Liang: Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Planning interventions such as action planning (AP) and coping planning (CP) have been recognized as influential strategies in promoting physical activity (PA), but mixed results of existing evidence have been observed. This study aims to perform a systematical meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of planning interventions for improving PA in the general population. Eight databases, including Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ProQuest, CNKI, and Wanfang Data, were searched to locate relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to 31 December 2021. In total, 41 trials with 5439 samples were included in this systematic review, and 35 trials were used in our meta-analysis. The results showed that PA was better promoted in the planned intervention group compared to the control group (SMD = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.25–0.44, I 2 = 61.4%). Based on the subgroup analyses, we found that planning strategies were more effective among patients, males, when adopting AP intervention, when using the face-to-face sessions delivery mode, and when reinforcements were conducted during the follow-up. The findings of this study indicate that planning interventions significantly improved PA behavior, and, in some contexts, the effects performed better. Future research needs to be conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms of planning interventions and validate their effects more extensively.

Keywords: planning interventions; action planning; coping planning; implementation intentions; physical activity; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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