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Prof. Paul Sudnik

Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany

As the Editor-in-Chief of IJSSH, I invite you to contribute your scholarly work to our esteemed publication. The journal publishes papers which focus on the advanced researches in the field of all aspects of social science and humanity. I'll endeavour to make this journal grow better and hopefully it will become a recognized journal among researchers and scholars in related fields.

Home > Archive > 2026 > Volume 16, Number 2, 2026
IJSSH 2026 Vol.16(2): 57-67
doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2026.16.2.1279

Effects of Parental Involvement Via Fitness Application on Weight Loss and Physical Activity among Overweight and Obese Adolescents in China: A Pilot Study

Tianjiao Hai*, Vincent Wee Eng Kim, and Yiqiang Mai

Manuscript received March 2, 2026; accepted March 14, 2026; published April 17, 2026.

Abstract— The rising prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity in China calls for effective intervention strategies, and while parental involvement is recognized as a key modifiable factor in youth weight management, its efficacy when delivered via digital fitness applications remains underexplored. This pilot study therefore, aimed to evaluate the effects of a Parental Involvement Fitness Application (PIFA) compared with an Individual Fitness Application (IFA) on weight loss and physical activity among overweight and obese adolescents. An eight‑week, two‑arm pilot cluster‑randomized controlled trial was conducted in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, enrolling 28 adolescents aged 12–15 years with a Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile above 85. Participants were randomized at the school level to either the PIFA group (n = 13), who engaged in structured parent‑child co‑exercise through the app, or the IFA group (n = 14), who used the app independently. Primary outcomes were BMI, Waist‑to‑Hip Ratio (WHR), and Physical Activity Level (PAL) measured by the PAQ‑CN questionnaire, and data were analysed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) with post‑hoc pairwise comparisons. Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Although time exerted a significant main effect on all three outcomes (p < 0.001), a significant group‑by‑time interaction emerged only for PAL (χ² = 78.051, p < 0.001), favouring the PIFA group. Post‑test PAL scores were significantly higher in the PIFA group than in the IFA group (p < 0.001) with a large effect size (d = 0.78), whereas no between‑group differences were observed for changes in BMI or WHR over time. These findings indicate that an eight‑week intervention using a parental involvement fitness application significantly improves physical activity levels among overweight and obese adolescents compared to individual app use, although it does not lead to short‑term changes in BMI or WHR. The results suggest that digitally mediated parental co‑engagement is a promising strategy for promoting physical activity behaviour in youth and warrants further investigation in larger, longer‑term trials that incorporate dietary components.

Keywords— fitness application, parental involvement, physical activity, obesity intervention, cluster RCT

Cite: Tianjiao Hai*, Vincent Wee Eng Kim, and Yiqiang Mai, " Effects of Parental Involvement Via Fitness Application on Weight Loss and Physical Activity among Overweight and Obese Adolescents in China: A Pilot Study, China," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 57-67, 2026.


Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
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