mHealth application as physical activity intervention: a case study on physical activity, emotional exhaustion, and work performance

ABSTRACT

Physical activity interventions are proven to mitigate job stress and improve work performance. However, the recommended threshold of physical activity is rarely considered when evaluating the effect of physical activity. This study adopted case study approach to investigate the moderating effect of the threshold of physical activity on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and work performance, based on the conservation of resources theory. The research site was an Asian university wherein the university developed a mHealth application as a physical activity intervention to promote Exercise-is-Medicine® On Campus. A longitudinal survey was conducted to collect quantitative data for analysis, and interviews were conducted for further insights. The results supported the hypothesis that the threshold of physical activity was an effective moderator in the exhaustion-performance relationship. This study enriches the burnout literature and substantiates literature on technology-enabled solutions for improving work performance by engaging users to do regular and sufficient physical activity.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all colleagues in Student Development Services, City University of Hong Kong for their full support in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Clara Choi-Ki Wong

Clara Choi-ki Wong is a Physical Education Officer at City University of Hong Kong. Clara received her Ph.D in Information Systems, and she was one of the members to promote Exercise is Medicine On Campus (EIM-OC) among the University. Her research interests include stress, job performance, gamification, and physical activity, etc.

Ron Chi-Wai Kwok

Ron Chi-wai Kwok is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems at City University of Hong Kong, where he received his Ph.D. in Information Systems. His current research interests include health/fitness information systems, technology-mediated learning, and online collaborative games in education. His prior research has been published in Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Association for Information Systems, Information & Management, Communications of ACM, and other journals.

Shanshan Zhang

Shanshan Zhang is currently the Assistant Professor at the Zhejiang University of Technology. Her research interests include human computer interaction, social media usage, and technostress in organizations. Her work has appeared in Information & Management, Internet Research, Information Technology & People, etc.