AI and Chatbot-Supported Interventions for Physical Activity and Obesity-Related Lifestyle Behaviors: Scoping Review With Attention to Family Involvement

Editorial reading guide · Collaboration

What exactly would our family be asked to do in an AI-supported activity program, and which outcome has been tested?

Maps the very different roles a family can have in an AI intervention: receiving reminders, recording activity, setting goals, or participating in a shared program. Of eight studies directly measuring activity/fitness, four reported improvement, two null results, and two mixed or indirect findings. That variation prevents a blanket claim that family-involved AI improves activity.

Study context

14 studies of AI/chatbot-supported physical activity or obesity-related behavior interventions, ten with an explicit family component

Age / stage: Child/adolescent eligibility 0–18 years; included studies ranged from infancy to adolescence

Read with three questions

1. How did studies define family involvement, and how active was the parent’s role?
2. Which systems were rule-based, adaptive, or generative, and were their technical functions described adequately?
3. How do engagement, activity, weight-related outcomes, and sustained family behavior differ across the evidence?

Keep the limits in view

The review did not conduct a formal quality appraisal, was not preregistered, and limited inclusion by language/time frame. Small pilots, varied ages, bundled interventions, short follow-up, and incomplete technical reporting limit comparisons. Family participation was not isolated experimentally as the active ingredient, and the review does not establish a pooled benefit.