Older Adults’ Experiences Using a Commercially Available Monitor to Self-Track Their Physical Activity

McMahon, Siobhan; Lewis, Beth A.; Oakes, Michael; Guan, Weihua; Wyman, Jean F.; Rothman, Alexander J.

doi:10.2196/mhealth.5120

Cited by 138 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…2) that sync with smartphones were perceived as useful and acceptable in a small sample of 32 adults over age 50 [47]. Another study by McMahon and colleagues evaluated the short-and long-term experiences of adults >70 years old with the Fitbit One activity tracker and found that it was easy to use, useful, and acceptable at 10 weeks and 8 months [48], though there were lower survey ratings by participants >80 years old.…”

Section: Potential Applications Of Gerontechnologies For Older Adultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gerontechnologies for Older Patients with Heart Failure: What is the Role of Smartphones, Tablets, and Remote Monitoring Devices in Improving Symptom Monitoring and Self-Care Management?

Creber

Hickey

Maurer

2016

Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep

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Older adults with heart failure have multiple chronic conditions and a large number and range of symptoms. A fundamental component of heart failure self-care management is regular symptom monitoring. Symptom monitoring can be facilitated by cost-effective, easily accessible technologies that are integrated into patients’ lives. Technologies that are tailored to older adults by incorporating gerontological design principles are called gerontechnologies. Gerontechnology is an interdisciplinary academic and professional field that combines gerontology and technology with the goals of improving prevention, care, and enhancing the quality of life for older adults. The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of gerontechnologies, specifically the use of mobile applications available on smartphones and tablets as well as remote monitoring systems, for outpatient disease management among older adults with heart failure. While largely unproven, these rapidly developing technologies have great potential to improve outcomes among older persons.

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Section: Potential Applications Of Gerontechnologies For Older Adultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gerontechnologies for Older Patients with Heart Failure: What is the Role of Smartphones, Tablets, and Remote Monitoring Devices in Improving Symptom Monitoring and Self-Care Management?

Creber

Hickey

Maurer

2016

Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep

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“…This study raised the question of how to motivate individuals to achieve further gains after initial success. Finally, another study suggested that new tracker designs and features may be needed for increasing physical activity in people 70 years of age and older [22]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can a Free Wearable Activity Tracker Change Behavior? The Impact of Trackers on Adults in a Physician-Led Wellness Group

Gualtieri

Rosenbluth

Phillips³

2016

JMIR Res Protoc

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BackgroundWearable activity trackers (trackers) are increasingly popular devices used to track step count and other health indicators. Trackers have the potential to benefit those in need of increased physical activity, such as adults who are older and face significant health challenges. These populations are least likely to purchase trackers and most likely to face challenges in using them, yet may derive educational, motivational, and health benefits from their use once these barriers are removed.ObjectiveThe aim of this pilot research is to investigate the use of trackers by adults with chronic medical conditions who have never used trackers previously. Specifically, we aim to determine (1) if participants would accept and use trackers to increase their physical activity; (2) if there were barriers to use besides cost and training; (3) if trackers would educate participants on their baseline and ongoing activity levels and support behavior change; and (4) if clinical outcomes would show improvements in participants’ health.MethodsThis study was conducted with patients (N=10) in a 12-week physician-led wellness group offered by Family Doctors, LLC. Patients were given trackers in the second week of The Wellness Group and were interviewed 2 to 4 weeks after it ended. The study investigators analyzed the interview notes to extract themes about the participants’ attitudes and behavior changes and collected and analyzed participants’ clinical data, including weight and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol over the course of the study.ResultsOver the 12 to 14 weeks of tracker use, improvements were seen in clinical outcomes, attitudes towards the trackers, and physical activity behaviors. Participants lost an average of 0.5 lbs per week (SD 0.4), with a mean total weight loss of 5.97 lbs (P=.004). Other short-term clinical outcomes included a 9.2% decrease in LDL levels (P=.038). All participants reported an increase in well-being and confidence in their ability to lead more active lives. We identified the following 6 major attitudinal themes from our qualitative analysis of the interview notes: (1) barriers to tracker purchase included cost, perceived value, and choice confusion; (2) attitudes towards the trackers shifted for many, from half of the participants expressing excitement and hope and half expressing hesitation or trepidation, to all participants feeling positive towards their tracker at the time of the interviews; (3) trackers served as educational tools for baseline activity levels; (4) trackers provided concrete feedback on physical activity, which motivated behavior change; (5) tracker use reinforced wellness group activities and goals; and (6) although commitment to tracker use did not waver, external circumstances influenced some participants’ ongoing use.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that adding trackers to wellness groups comprising primarily older adults with chronic medical conditions can support education and behavior change to be more physically active. The trackers increased participa...

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“…Previous studies have explored activity tracker use mostly at the initial stages of use [3,7,[36][37] and have not systematically evaluated the spectrum of features used, liked, and wanted by adults aged 65 and older.…”

Section: Comparison With Prior Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Wearable Activity Trackers Among Older Adults: Focus Group Study of Tracker Perceptions, Motivators, and Barriers in the Maintenance Stage of Behavior Change (Preprint)

Kononova¹,

Li²,

Kamp³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Background: Physical activity benefits older adults by protecting against morbidity and mortality. Wearable activity trackers (WATs) offer the opportunity to increase physical activity through continuous monitoring. We explore the nuances of WAT use and adoption among older adults using the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change. Objective: We investigate older adults' perceptions and uses of WATs in different stages of WAT adoption. Method: Data for the research come from 10 focus groups. The first set of focus groups was with participants who had never used WATs. These focus groups included a WAT trial. Other focus groups (without the trial) were conducted with short-term, long-term, and former WAT users. Results: Older adults in different WAT use stages liked and wished for different WAT features, with long-term users being the most diverse and sophisticated users of WATs. Long-term users had developed a habit of WAT use while other participants needed to employ various encouragement strategies. Social support, with the focus on collaboration, was the primary motivator for long-term users, while short-term and former users focused on competition, and non-users engaged in vicarious WAT use experiences. Finally, longterm users were more likely to see benefits of WATs while other participants focused on obstacles related to WAT use. Conclusion: WATs may be an effective technology to encourage physical activity among older adults. Yet, WATs alone are not likely to be successful in changing behavior. Tailored approaches based on the TTM stage of change as well as motivations, facilitators, and specific WAT characteristics that are important for older adults will ensure successful longterm use.Keywords: older adults, wearable activity trackers, Transtheoretical Model, physical activity, focus groups IntroductionThe focus of the present study is on exploring the nuances of adopting wearable activity trackers (WATs) in the population of adults who are 65 years of age or older using the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) [1]. Academic and industry research has shown that the use of WATs can increase physical activity through continuous monitoring of activity progress [2][3]. Physical activity is beneficial for older adults due to its protective power against chronic diseases, many of which increase with older age [4].Despite the evident benefits of WATs for older generations, digital care today is more available to younger populations, leaving older adults on the periphery of the industry [5]. 1As little as 7% of older adults owned an activity tracker in 2014 [6]. Only a few studies have been done to understand how and why older adults use WATs and why they choose not to use or stop using this wearable technology [7][8][9].Even if individuals decide to use WATs, it does not guarantee that they will continue using them on a long-term basis. One in three WAT users of all adult ages stop using the device within six months after purchase [10][11]. Length of use is correlated with age, with th...

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Older Adults’ Experiences Using a Commercially Available Monitor to Self-Track Their Physical Activity

Cited by 138 publications

References 22 publications

Gerontechnologies for Older Patients with Heart Failure: What is the Role of Smartphones, Tablets, and Remote Monitoring Devices in Improving Symptom Monitoring and Self-Care Management?

Gerontechnologies for Older Patients with Heart Failure: What is the Role of Smartphones, Tablets, and Remote Monitoring Devices in Improving Symptom Monitoring and Self-Care Management?

Can a Free Wearable Activity Tracker Change Behavior? The Impact of Trackers on Adults in a Physician-Led Wellness Group

The Use of Wearable Activity Trackers Among Older Adults: Focus Group Study of Tracker Perceptions, Motivators, and Barriers in the Maintenance Stage of Behavior Change (Preprint)

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