Institute of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Hauptstr. 47-51, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus, Stuttgart, Germany.
Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2022 Aug;55(5):388-393. doi: 10.1007/s00391-022-02083-x. Epub 2022 Jul 18.
Wearables provide new opportunities to promote physical activity also among older adults but data on effectiveness and user friendliness are rare.
The effects of a comprehensive self-regulative intervention on moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and number of steps were examined using commercially available activity trackers. Acceptance regarding the devices was analysed in various domains.
In this study 80 older adults (mean = 67.03 years, standard deviation = 3.97 years; 59% women) wore a Fitbit Charge HR for 21 days including a baseline, a postintervention and a follow-up week. The intervention comprised feedback, goal setting and planning and 50% of the participants were additionally randomized to a role model component. Social cognitive predictors based on the health action process approach (HAPA) and user experience were assessed via questionnaires.
The MVPA increased by an average of 19 min per week and steps by 1317 per day. An additional benefit of the role model component could be observed for MVPA. In the follow-up, the intervention effect was still significant for the number of steps, while MVPA dropped back to baseline. Multilevel models including HAPA variables explained small but significant amounts of variance in MVPA (8% within-person, 26% between-person) and steps (11% within-person, 12% between-person). User experience was rated as very high.
Providing an intervention based on established behavior change techniques and self-monitoring via wearables seems to be effective for increasing physical activity among older adults. The HAPA variables seem to play a limited role to explain activity levels. Acceptance of wearables can be expected to be high.
可穿戴设备为促进老年人的身体活动提供了新的机会，但关于其有效性和用户友好性的数据却很少。
本研究旨在使用市售活动追踪器，检验综合自我调节干预对中等到剧烈身体活动（MVPA）和步数的影响。分析了各个领域对设备的接受程度。
本研究纳入了 80 名老年人（平均年龄 67.03 岁，标准差 3.97 年；59%为女性），佩戴 Fitbit Charge HR 设备 21 天，包括基线期、干预后和随访期。干预措施包括反馈、目标设定和计划，其中 50%的参与者还随机分为榜样角色组成部分。通过问卷评估基于健康行动过程方法（HAPA）和用户体验的社会认知预测因子。
MVPA 平均每周增加 19 分钟，每天增加 1317 步。榜样角色组成部分还可以观察到对 MVPA 的额外益处。在随访中，干预对步数的影响仍然显著，而 MVPA 则恢复到基线水平。包括 HAPA 变量的多层次模型解释了 MVPA（个体内 8%，个体间 26%）和步数（个体内 11%，个体间 12%）的小但有意义的方差。用户体验被评为非常高。
通过可穿戴设备提供基于既定行为改变技术和自我监测的干预措施，似乎可以有效提高老年人的身体活动水平。HAPA 变量似乎在解释活动水平方面作用有限。可穿戴设备的接受度可以预期会很高。
