Trial reportPloS one2025
The impact of physical activity variety on physical activity participation.
Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Development and content validation of a bodyweight-based HIIT training module for Chinese college students.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Reliability and validity of the perceived variety support in physical education scale among chinese school-attending adolescents.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Physical fitness and enjoyment of physical activity among university students: implications for sustainable physical activity participation.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsVariety (i.e., multiple types of activities) may be effective for increasing physical activity (PA) based on previous research; however, research is needed to evaluate variety's impact on psychosocial variables.
methodsThis exploratory study examined the effect of a home-based PA variety intervention on PA participation and psychosocial variables (motivation, psychological needs satisfaction, enjoyment, boredom, variety perception, PA feeling, self-efficacy, and affect) in an eight-week randomized intervention trial. Participants (n = 47; mean age, 19.9 + /- 1.9; 75% female) were low-active, 18-25-year-old college students randomized to participate in the PA variety intervention or the consistency comparison condition. All participants received weekly individual counseling. The PA variety intervention received 14 unique high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts with instructions to complete at least three different workouts per week, and the consistency comparison received one HIIT workout to complete at least three times per week. Priori comparisons and between groups analysis of covariance were used to examine findings.
resultsParticipants in the variety condition reported marginally significant more weekly moderate-to-vigorous PA (p = .072) over the course of the intervention and higher psychological needs satisfaction (p = .099) at four weeks relative to the comparison. The variety intervention condition reported significantly higher perceived autonomy (p = .013) within psychological needs at four weeks, PA feelings of tranquility (p = .005) at eight weeks, and PA self-efficacy (p = .025) at eight weeks relative to the comparison.
conclusionsThis exploratory study revealed there was preliminary evidence that variety may lead to improved psychological responses to PA among college-age individuals, although findings should be interpreted with caution given the use of marginal significance. Future studies should examine how a variety of different activities (e.g., cycling, tennis, group fitness classes) influence motivation and PA, in addition to including larger and more diverse samples. Practitioners should support clients' psychological needs and provide home-based PA options.
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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.