Department of Physical Therapy, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA, United States.
School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2023 Nov 22;11:e47891. doi: 10.2196/47891.
Despite evidence that regular physical activity (PA) among older adults confers numerous health and functional benefits, PA participation rates are low. Using commercially available wearable PA monitors (PAMs) is one way to augment PA promotion efforts. However, while expert recommendations exist for the specific information needed at the beginning of PAM ownership and the general ongoing need for structures that support as-needed technical troubleshooting, information is lacking about the type, frequency, and modes of assistance needed during initial and long-term ownership.
This paper describes problems reported and technical assistance received by older adults who used PAMs during the 18 months they participated in a community-based PA trial: Ready Steady 3.0 (RS3).
This was an ad-hoc longitudinal analysis of process variables representing technical problems reported and assistance received by 113 RS3 study participants in the 18 months after their orientation to PAMs. Variables included date of contact, problem(s) reported, mode of technical assistance, and whether the equipment was replaced. The descriptive analysis included frequencies and incidence rates of distinct contacts, types of problems, and technical assistance modes.
On average, participants were aged 77 (SD 5.2) years. Most identified as female (n=87, 77%), reported experience using smartphones (n=92, 81.4%), and used the PAM between 2 and 18 months. Eighty-two participants (72.6%) reported between 1 to 9 problems with using PAMs, resulting in a total of 150 technical assistance contacts with a mean of 1.3 (SD 1.3) contacts. The incidence rate of new, distinct contacts for technical assistance was 99 per 100 persons per year from 2018 to 2021. The most common problems were wearing the PAM (n=43, 28.7%), reading its display (n=23, 15.3%), logging into its app (n=20, 13.3%), charging it (n=18, 12%), and synchronizing it to the app (n=16, 10.7%). The modalities of technical assistance were in person (n=53, 35.3%), by telephone (n=51, 34%), by email (n=25, 16.7%), and by postal mail (n=21, 14%).
In general, the results of this study show that after receiving orientation to PAMs, problems such as uncomfortable wristbands, difficulty using the PAM or its related app, and obtaining or interpreting relevant personal data were occasionally reported by participants in RS3. Trained staff helped participants troubleshoot and solve these technical problems primarily in person or by phone. Results also underscore the importance of involving older adults in the design, usability testing, and supportive material development processes to prevent technical problems for the initial and ongoing use of PAMs. Clinicians and researchers should further assess technical assistance needed by older adults, accounting for variations in PAM models and wear time, while investigating additional assistance strategies, such as proactive support, short GIF videos, and video calls.
尽管有证据表明，老年人经常进行身体活动（PA）会带来许多健康和功能益处，但参与身体活动的比例仍然很低。使用商业上可用的可穿戴身体活动监测器（PAMs）是增强身体活动促进工作的一种方式。然而，虽然专家建议在拥有 PAMs 之初以及在日常需要时都需要特定的信息，并且需要支持按需技术故障排除的结构，但关于在初始阶段和长期拥有期间需要的协助类型、频率和模式的信息却很缺乏。
本文描述了在参与基于社区的身体活动试验（Ready Steady 3.0，RS3）的 18 个月期间，老年人在使用 PAMs 时报告的问题和获得的技术援助。
这是对 113 名 RS3 研究参与者在接受 PAMs 培训后的 18 个月内报告的技术问题和获得的技术援助的过程变量进行的一项临时纵向分析。变量包括联系日期、报告的问题、技术援助模式以及设备是否更换。描述性分析包括不同联系的频率和发生率、问题类型和技术援助模式。
参与者的平均年龄为 77（SD 5.2）岁。大多数参与者为女性（n=87，77%），报告有使用智能手机的经验（n=92，81.4%），使用 PAMs 的时间为 2 至 18 个月。82 名参与者（72.6%）报告使用 PAMs 时存在 1 至 9 个问题，共发生 150 次技术援助接触，平均每次接触 1.3（SD 1.3）次。从 2018 年到 2021 年，新的、不同的技术援助接触的发生率为每 100 人每年 99 次。最常见的问题是佩戴 PAMs（n=43，28.7%）、阅读其显示屏（n=23，15.3%）、登录其应用程序（n=20，13.3%）、给 PAMs 充电（n=18，12%）和将其与应用程序同步（n=16，10.7%）。技术援助的模式包括面对面（n=53，35.3%）、电话（n=51，34%）、电子邮件（n=25，16.7%）和邮寄（n=21，14%）。
一般来说，本研究结果表明，在接受 PAMs 培训后，RS3 参与者偶尔会报告一些问题，例如腕带不舒服、难以使用 PAMs 或其相关应用程序、以及获取或解释相关个人数据。经过培训的工作人员主要通过面对面或电话帮助参与者解决这些技术问题。结果还强调了让老年人参与 PAMs 的设计、可用性测试和支持材料开发过程的重要性，以防止在初始和持续使用 PAMs 时出现技术问题。临床医生和研究人员应进一步评估老年人所需的技术援助，同时考虑 PAMs 模型和佩戴时间的差异，并研究其他援助策略，如主动支持、简短 GIF 视频和视频通话。
