Feasibility of Virtual Tablet-Based Group Exercise Among Older Adults in Siberia: Findings From Two Pilot Trials

Abstract

BackgroundRegular physical activity has a positive effect on physical health, well-being, and life satisfaction of older adults. However, engaging in regular physical activity can be challenging for the elderly population because of reduced mobility, low motivation, or lack of the proper infrastructures in their communities.ObjectiveThe objective of this paper was to study the feasibility of home-based online group training—under different group cohesion settings—and its effects on adherence and well-being among Russian older adults. We focused particularly on the technology usability and usage and on the adherence to the training (in light of premeasures of social support, enjoyment of physical activity, and leg muscle strength). As a secondary objective, we also explored the effects of the technology-supported intervention on subjective well-being and loneliness.MethodsTwo pilot trials were carried out exploring two different group cohesion settings (weak cohesion and strong cohesion) in the period from 2015 to 2016 in Tomsk, Russian Federation. A total of 44 older adults (59-83 years) participated in the two pilots and followed a strength and balance training program (Otago) for 8 weeks with the help of a tablet-based virtual gym app. Participants in each pilot were assigned to an interaction condition, representing the online group exercising, and an individual condition, representing a home-based individual training. Both conditions featured persuasion strategies but differed in the ability to socialize and train together.ResultsBoth interaction and individual groups reported a high usability of the technology. Trainees showed a high level of technology acceptance and, particularly, a high score in intention to future use (4.2-5.0 on a 5-point Likert scale). Private texting (short service message [SMS]) was used more than public texting, and the strong cohesion condition resulted in more messages per user. Joint participations to training sessions (copresence) were higher for the social group with higher cohesion. The overall adherence to the training was 74% (SD 27%). Higher levels of social support at baseline were associated with higher adherence in the low cohesion condition (F1,18=5.23, P=.03), whereas in the high cohesion, such association was not found. Overall improvement in the satisfaction with life score was observed between pre and post measures (F1,31=5.85, P=.02), but no decrease in loneliness.ConclusionsOnline group exercising was proven feasible among healthy independently living older adults in Russia. The pilots suggest that a physical training performed in a virtual environment positively affect the life satisfaction of the trainees, but it does not provide support for a decrease in loneliness. High cohesion groups are preferable for group exercising, especially to mitigate effects of low social support on adherence. Further research in motivating group interactions in training settings is needed.

Technologies for Promoting Social Participation in Later Life

“…Related to the previous point, we observed different social interaction patterns when comparing the results from the trials with Italian (Baez et al, 2017) and Russian (Nikitina et al, 2018) older adults, under the same conditions. While Italians naturally engaged in community building and preferred exchanging public messages, Russian older adults engaged very little in community building and shared very few public messages, limiting their exchanges to private channels.…”

“…The feasibility and effectiveness of Gymcentral, as a tool to enable and motivate the participation older adults in home-based physical interventions, has been the subject of several randomised control trials in Italy, Netherlands, and Russia (Baez et al, 2017;Geraedts et al, 2017;Nikitina, Didino, Baez, & Casati, 2018). The results consistently show the feasibility of the tool, and provide further insights into the effects of the various design choices and their limitations in promoting social participation.…”

“…Users did not perceive this type of interaction as useful and was ultimately the least used feature in the trials. In the study in Russia (Nikitina et al, 2018. ), we also observed low levels of group interactions using public messages when participants featured low level of group cohesion, meaning when most did not know each other before the intervention.…”

Usability Issues of Clinical and Research Applications of Virtual Reality in Older People: A Systematic Review

“…Technology acceptance model (TAM) and modified versions were used in most of the studies Wüest et al, 2014;Morán et al, 2015;Cook and Winkler, 2016 Kiselev et al (2015) and Brox et al (2017). Importantly, some studies adopted technological theoretical frameworks adapted for older people, such as the senior UCD or the senior citizens' acceptance of information systems (SCAIS) Nikitina et al, 2018). However, several studies did not report a theoretical model to design their systems Castilla et al, 2013;Corno et al, 2014;Schwenk et al, 2014;Im et al, 2015;Shubert et al, 2015;Desteghe et al, 2017;Trombetta et al, 2017;Vanbellingen et al, 2017;Plechatá et al, 2019;van Beek et al, 2019).…”

“…Lastly, human-computer interfaces are also conceptualized in terms of architecture and layers needed to provide a service Nikitina et al, 2018). For instance, the user remote console (URC) is a framework used for telemedicine systems to define abstract user interface layers, hubs, and devices.…”