ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2016
Gotta catch'em all! Pokémon GO and physical activity among young adults: difference in differences study.
Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of active video games for promoting physical activity: an umbrella review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Pooled it
- Smart City and High-Tech Urban Interventions Targeting Human Health: An Equity-Focused Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Pilot Study of a Multilevel Mobile Health App for Substance Use, Sexual Risk Behaviors, and Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV Among Youth: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Trial
- Novel Smartphone Game Improves Physical Activity Behavior in Type 2 Diabetes.American journal of preventive medicine · 2019Trial
- Effect of a Game-Based Intervention Designed to Enhance Social Incentives to Increase Physical Activity Among Families: The BE FIT Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA internal medicine · 2017Trial
- Motivational Factors, Physical Activity Impacts, and Sociopsychological Effects of Pokémon GO in Players Over the Years: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- A Critical Appraisal of the Links Between Video Gaming, Lifestyle Factors, Diet and Eating Behaviour: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Preliminary Findings From an Augmented Reality (AR) App Delivering Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy for Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia.Early intervention in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of standalone digital mindfulness-based interventions on sleep in adults.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Impact of a nudge-based intervention on hand soap usage in a Japanese Hospital: interrupted time series analysis.Infection prevention in practice · 2025Article
- Feasibility of mHealth Strategies to Promote Use of Wrist-Worn Alcohol Biosensors Among Young Adults With HIV: Protocol for the Engage Microrandomized Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Difference-in-differences analysis with repeated cross-sectional survey data.Health services & outcomes research methodology · 2025Article
- Augmented Reality Playgrounds to Promote Physical Activity in Young Children: Feasibility Study Using a Repeated Measures Laboratory Design.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- Pokémon GO, Went, Gone…-Physical Activity Level, Health Behaviours, and Mental Well-Being of Game Users: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Systematic review and meta analysis of standalone digital behavior change interventions on physical activity.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Upper Extremity and Musculoskeletal Injuries Related to Videogame and Augmented Reality Game Usage: A Narrative Review Article.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2025Review
- Preferences of patients with depression for exercises: a discrete choice experiment.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Development of a crowdsourcing- and gamification-based mobile application to collect epidemiological information and promote healthy lifestyles in Mexico.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Promoting Physical and Mental Health among Children and Adolescents via Gamification-A Conceptual Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- A Smartphone-Based Shopping Mall Walking Program and Daily Walking Steps.JAMA network open · 2024Article
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo estimate the effect of playing Pokémon GO on the number of steps taken daily up to six weeks after installation of the game.
designCohort study using online survey data.
participantsSurvey participants of Amazon Mechanical Turk (n=1182) residing in the United States, aged 18 to 35 years and using iPhone 6 series smartphones.
main outcome measuresNumber of daily steps taken each of the four weeks before and six weeks after installation of Pokémon GO, automatically recorded in the "Health" application of the iPhone 6 series smartphones and reported by the participants. A difference in difference regression model was used to estimate the change in daily steps in players of Pokémon GO compared with non-players.
results560 (47.4%) of the survey participants reported playing Pokémon GO and walked on average 4256 steps (SD 2697) each day in the four weeks before installation of the game. The difference in difference analysis showed that the daily average steps for Pokémon GO players during the first week of installation increased by 955 additional steps (95% confidence interval 697 to 1213), and then this increase gradually attenuated over the subsequent five weeks. By the sixth week after installation, the number of daily steps had gone back to pre-installation levels. No significant effect modification of Pokémon GO was found by sex, age, race group, bodyweight status, urbanity, or walkability of the area of residence.
conclusionsPokémon GO was associated with an increase in the daily number of steps after installation of the game. The association was, however, moderate and no longer observed after six weeks.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.