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The benefits of physical activity (PA) in general, in confinement and during pandemics, has previously been reported and is still relevant during the current wave of the global Coronavirus 2019 (SARS Cov-2) (COVID-19) pandemic.[1] South Africa’s response to the pandemic was rapid and stringent, limiting national economic activity and movement of people. This approach was supported nationally and was particularly important as the health sector prepared for the upswing of the disease’s presence in central ‘hot-spots’, such as city centres and environments with populations living in crowded settings. Sports participation, access to gyms and fitness facilities were prohibited during the lockdown, resulting in limited options for PA and exercise, and therefore concerns regarding rising inactivity levels. Emerging evidence; nevertheless, advocated for continued PA to maintain optimal cardiometabolic and immune health during the pandemic,[2] while other data support obtaining sufficient PA to prevent poor disease outcomes in those individuals contracting COVID-19, compared with that of matched sedentary patients.[3] Homebased exercise for cardiac rehabilitation and maintaining health is now a focused area which was promoted before countries introduced lockdowns.[4] Smartphone PA mobile apps and activity trackers have been used pre-COVID and their applicability during the COVID-19 pandemic is self-evident. Sensors in smartphones and activity trackers enable users to easily access PA programmes and monitor physical activity levels remotely via automated and continuous self-monitoring and feedback. A recent metaanalysis investigated the effect of activity trackers and mobile apps with the features mentioned above in increasing physical activity in healthy adults (18–65 years old).[5] The meta-analysis found that mobile app and tracker users were more active than control groups by an average of 1 850 additional steps per day. The interventions reviewed in the meta-analysis included a variety of smartphone apps and activity trackers, as well as other components of engagement, such as emails, human involvement via phone calls or face-to-face meetings, and text messaging. Furthermore, interventions studied included different behaviour change techniques (e.g. ‘feedback and monitoring;’ ‘rewards and threats’). Importantly, the metaanalysis highlighted that the apps and trackers that were complemented by human personalisation or text-messaging were significantly more effective. The offer of the smart-phone PA application (in circulation since 2008) was based on the quick implementation of the lockdown and the immediate need for staff members to have Background: Sufficient physical activity (PA) lowers poor health outcomes, with data showing these protective effects in populations under varying levels of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The advent of online PA programmes has created novel opportunities to offset the deleterious effects of inactivity. However, data are limited and the readiness and acceptance of such technology is unknown. These authors nevertheless noted an opportunity to investigate this approach based on promising emerging data at the time of the hard lockdown in South Africa. Objective: This exploratory study investigated the engagement and perceptions of a smartphone application to promote health and fitness in a sample of employees at a South African university. Methods: Employed members of staff (n=15) of the University of the Witwatersrand were recruited through email invitation during the hard Level 5 COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Individualised home-based PA programmes were prescribed through a mobile application for a period of eight weeks. Researchers qualified in Biokinetics provided online supervision of the exercise sessions during the intervention. Participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire about their use of the application. Thematic analysis was used to understand these responses. Results: Lack of motivation was perceived to have a negative effect on participation in the online PA programme. Only one participant reported using the mobile application consistently during the study period, while half of the participants reported having trouble with the usage of the application. The participants frequently mentioned the need for technical support and further engagement from the clinicians supervising the PA programme to ensure use and progression. Staff identified issues with connectivity and already having too many phone applications (apps) amongst the reasons for the technical difficulties. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the challenges and potential for the uptake of online PA interventions during COVID-19 and, despite its small sample size, the data provide important lessons learned that will be used as information in further investigations.

south african journal of sports medicine

‘I’m doing it for myself’: Using a smartphone-based exercise service during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa