An Integrated mHealth Campaign to Reduce the Risk of Falling for Older Adults

Abstract

The number of falls among older adults is rising due to an aging population worldwide. An integrated communication campaign utilizing mHealth (mobile health) encouraged older adults to perform strength, balance, and flexibility exercises to reduce their risk of falling. Campaign development was guided by a mixed-method approach which incorporated expert interviews ( N = 3), qualitative interviews ( N = 22), and a quantitative baseline pre-campaign survey ( N = 274) with older adults. We evaluated the campaign impact with a pre-post survey analysis (post n = 141). Impact was measured by knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors as key Social Cognitive Theory factors to exercise adoption. Results showed that respondents with campaign exposure had a significant increase in all factor scores from pre- to post-campaign survey, which was significantly higher in the group with campaign exposure. The impact evaluation illustrated how digital mobile channels effectively provide means to reach older adults to reduce their risk of falling.

Factors influencing older adults' participation in telehealth interventions for primary prevention and health promotion: A rapid review

“…Twenty-two articles had been published since 2015 9,11,26,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] and eight of them were published between 2021 and 2022, [38][39][40][41]43,44,47,48 which attests to the increasing popularity of telehealth interventions for primary prevention and health promotion in older adults. Eleven of the 24 articles reported the results from qualitative studies, 9,33,34,38,41,42,[48][49][50]52,53 nine from mixed method studies, 11,[35][36][37]40,[43][44][45]51 ...…”

“…Eleven of the 24 articles reported the results from qualitative studies, 9,33,34,38,41,42,[48][49][50]52,53 nine from mixed method studies, 11,[35][36][37]40,[43][44][45]51 two from randomised controlled trials, 39,47 one from a quasiexperimental study 46 and one from a cross-sectional study. 26 As shown in Table 1, 12 articles pertained to studies conducted in Europe, 26,33,34,[39][40][41][42]45,46,[48][49][50] eight in North America, 9,[35][36][37]44,47,52,53 four in Asia, 11,38,40,51 and one in Oceania. ...…”

“…40 A total of 10 articles concerned health promotion interventions 9,11,[34][35][36]44,47,[51][52][53] and 14 examined primary prevention interventions. 26,33,[37][38][39][40][41][42][43]45,46,[48][49][50] Table 1 also presents the technologies of interest in the 24 articles. Mobile apps were studied in seven articles.…”

“…33,35,52 Videoconferences were studied in three articles. 9,41,43 Findings from studies pertaining to webinars, 37 a website, 38 an interactive TVbased game 44 and short service messages (SMS) 11 were reported in one article each.…”

“…Performance expectancy was identified in 20 articles. 9,11,26,[33][34][35][38][39][40][41][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] More specifically, the following subcategories related to performance expectancy were identified: (1) Obtaining secondary gains or rewards (e.g. perceived physical and functional gains, improved quality of life and achievement of health goals; n = 14) , 9,26,34,38,39,41,43,44,[46][47][48][49][50][51] such as the possibility to personalise exercise programs to one's specific abilities and goals (n = 5), 40,43,48,49,52 (3) increasing motivation to change health behaviour (n = 5) 11,34,35,48,50 (e.g.…”