Solo or team? A meta-analysis of individual vs. group-based studies on physical activity, functional, psychosocial, and health outcomes.

Solo or team? A meta-analysis of individual vs. group-based studies on physical activity, functional, psychosocial, and health outcomes. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Solo or team? A meta-analysis of individual vs. group-based studies on physical activity, functional, psychosocial, and health outcomes. Marlene Kritz, Ηugh Ridell, Daryn Olsen, Samantha Harden, Shauna Burke, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5944636/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Human Behaviour → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Social influences, such as group dynamics, social norms, and peer support are assumed to influence physical activity (PA). Burke et al. (2006) found that “true groups” (i.e., those using group dynamics principles) had advantages over other group conditions in terms of PA. Given technological advances and the rise of virtual exercise platforms, we aimed to update and extend these findings. We conducted a meta-analysis of 71 studies (523 effect sizes), primarily experimental (95%), comparing individual and group-based PA conditions on outcomes including PA levels, functional assessments (e.g., flexibility, strength), psychosocial measures (e.g., quality of life, loneliness), and health indices (e.g., body mass index). Using a three-level random-effects model, group-based conditions showed a small but non-significant advantage over individual conditions for PA (g = .071, p = .642), psychosocial (g = .292, p = .214), and health outcomes (g = .125, p = .096). For functional outcomes, a small but significant advantage for groups emerged after outlier removal (g = .164, p = .015). Moderation analysis showed that different types of groups resulted in similar outcomes. The only exception was for “true groups”, whose effect size predicting health outcomes was larger compared to the effect sizes for other group types. Both individual and group -based approaches (in-person or online) may be effective for PA promotion. Future research should explore the underlying mechanisms that optimise each approach for specific populations and settings. Review registration: Registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021271452) Health sciences/Health care/Public health Social science/Psychology/Human behaviour Figures Figure 2 Figure 3 Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryFile1.docx Supplementary File 1 SupplementaryFile2PRISMAChecklist.docx PRISMA Checklist Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Human Behaviour → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5944636","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":414867861,"identity":"12a83cd6-2e9d-476b-88fa-494e93992e83","order_by":0,"name":"Marlene 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