TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing digital health services
T2 - A machine learning approach to personalized exercise goal setting
AU - Fang, Ji
AU - Lee, Vincent C.S.
AU - Ji, Hao
AU - Wang, Haiyan
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors received the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 72071042].
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/2/20
Y1 - 2024/2/20
N2 - Background: The utilization of digital health has increased recently, and these services provide extensive guidance to encourage users to exercise frequently by setting daily exercise goals to promote a healthy lifestyle. These comprehensive guides evolved from the consideration of various personalized behavioral factors. Nevertheless, existing approaches frequently neglect the users’ dynamic behavior and the changing in their health conditions. Objective: This study aims to fill this gap by developing a machine learning algorithm that dynamically updates auto-suggestion exercise goals using retrospective data and realistic behavior trajectory. Methods: We conducted a methodological study by designing a deep reinforcement learning algorithm to evaluate exercise performance, considering fitness-fatigue effects. The deep reinforcement learning algorithm combines deep learning techniques to analyze time series data and infer user's exercise behavior. In addition, we use the asynchronous advantage actor-critic algorithm for reinforcement learning to determine the optimal exercise intensity through exploration and exploitation. The personalized exercise data and biometric data used in this study were collected from publicly available datasets, encompassing walking, sports logs, and running. Results: In our study, we conducted the statistical analyses/inferential tests to compare the effectiveness of machine learning approach in exercise goal setting across different exercise goal-setting strategies. The 95% confidence intervals demonstrated the robustness of these findings, emphasizing the superior outcomes of the machine learning approach. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the adaptability of machine learning algorithm to users’ exercise preferences and behaviors in exercise goal setting, emphasizing the substantial influence of goal design on service effectiveness.
AB - Background: The utilization of digital health has increased recently, and these services provide extensive guidance to encourage users to exercise frequently by setting daily exercise goals to promote a healthy lifestyle. These comprehensive guides evolved from the consideration of various personalized behavioral factors. Nevertheless, existing approaches frequently neglect the users’ dynamic behavior and the changing in their health conditions. Objective: This study aims to fill this gap by developing a machine learning algorithm that dynamically updates auto-suggestion exercise goals using retrospective data and realistic behavior trajectory. Methods: We conducted a methodological study by designing a deep reinforcement learning algorithm to evaluate exercise performance, considering fitness-fatigue effects. The deep reinforcement learning algorithm combines deep learning techniques to analyze time series data and infer user's exercise behavior. In addition, we use the asynchronous advantage actor-critic algorithm for reinforcement learning to determine the optimal exercise intensity through exploration and exploitation. The personalized exercise data and biometric data used in this study were collected from publicly available datasets, encompassing walking, sports logs, and running. Results: In our study, we conducted the statistical analyses/inferential tests to compare the effectiveness of machine learning approach in exercise goal setting across different exercise goal-setting strategies. The 95% confidence intervals demonstrated the robustness of these findings, emphasizing the superior outcomes of the machine learning approach. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the adaptability of machine learning algorithm to users’ exercise preferences and behaviors in exercise goal setting, emphasizing the substantial influence of goal design on service effectiveness.
KW - changing exercise behavior
KW - Digital health service
KW - exercise goal setting
KW - exercise performance
KW - fitness-fatigue effect
KW - internet of things technologies
KW - machine learning algorithm
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185464390&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/20552076241233247
DO - 10.1177/20552076241233247
M3 - Article
C2 - 38384365
AN - SCOPUS:85185464390
SN - 2055-2076
VL - 10
JO - Digital Health
JF - Digital Health
ER -