Feasibility and Adoption of a Focused Digital Wellness Program in Older Adults

Abstract

Digital health programs offer numerous psychological and physical health benefits. To date, digital programs have been aimed broadly at younger participants, yet older individuals may also benefit. Our study sought to demonstrate user feasibility and satisfaction in a digital wellness program for older adults. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 140 participants in a digital health wellness application that integrated guided exercises, nutrition planning and health education. Primary outcomes were active participant retention, engagement in the mobile program and user satisfaction as operationalized by NPS scores. Among 140 participants, median age was 59.82 (50–80), 61% female, in a sample taken in the United States. Engagement was high and sustained, with more than 65% participants engaged, operationalized as at least completing one task activity a month over 17 weeks. Participants were also satisfied with the program, reporting NPS scores of 43 on day 30 of the program. Secondary health outcomes included 3.44 pound weight change during the first month. User feasibility and satisfaction was demonstrated in a sample of older participants for this novel digital health wellness program. Future work focused on older adult users may result in improvements in patient health outcomes and improved preventive medicine strategies.

Engagement in Digital Health App-Based Prevention Programs Is Associated With Weight Loss Among Adults Age 65+

“…5 Past research has found that adults aged 65 and older can be successful in hybrid programs ( 6 ), but this research is the first to provide evidence of success in fully digital programs on a relatively large scale. The observed average weight loss of 4.5% in this study supports a previous small-sample feasibility study of a fully digital mobile app-based program that showed an average weight loss of 3.44 pounds over 4 months, indicating that older adults can successfully lose weight using fully digital programs ( 7 ). Results from research examining the association between engagement, age, and weight loss are instructive, although they include adults across the age span from 18 to 85 years of age ( 16 ).…”

“…Furthermore, research on engagement in a digital health program among a Medicare population showed that 92% of participants completed at least nine out of 16 program lessons and engaged in 19 out of 31 opportunities for weekly program engagement ( 6 ). Among 140 participants aged 50 to 80 years, 65% showed long-term engagement, operationalized as completing at least one task activity per month over 4 months, and there were no differences when stratified by age (i.e., 50 to 64, and 65 to 80) ( 7 ). These studies provide powerful evidence that older adults are both willing and able to engage with digital health programs.…”

“…Qualitative acceptability research suggests that older adults believe a digital health coach may help them improve health behaviors, such as increase their physical activity, but this has not been tested ( 8 ). One study measured feasibility and acceptability of a fully digital health program among older adults and reported an average weight loss of 3.44 pounds over 4 months, showing promise for the effectiveness of fully digital health programs for this population, but only included 19 individuals ( 7 ). A meta-analysis of six trials of adults with a mean age of 68 years old indicated that programs with smartphone-based intervention components helped these individuals decrease sedentary time, increase physical activity, and increase fitness; however, these studies included adults as young as 55 years of age ( 9 ).…”

Behavioral Patterns of Supply and Demand Sides of Health Services for the Elderly in Sustainable Digital Transformation: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Human-centered digital health design enhances the equity of health services. Concurrently, it can enhance the patient's experience and help doctors obtain more data feedback, thereby helping health service providers to transform behaviors according to patients' needs [38,39]. The design of digital health services for the elderly must focus on "designing for experience", rather than simply adding digital technology to improve efficiency.…”

Computer Education and Third Age Universities: A Systematic Review

“…The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences have enhanced the importance of Gerontechnology, a term that the International Society for Gerontechnology defines as designing technology and the environment for an independent life and the social participation of elderly people with good health, comfort, and safety [18], an interdisciplinary field combining gerontology and technology [19]. Due to the characteristics of the older population [20], there is a need for the design of technological tools to became elderly-friendly tools, such as the obvious increase in font size [21], a sharp contrast between the background and font color [22], and large tap areas [23]. In this sense, and as a cause of an aging population, many studies have been published; for example, research on dementia is developing exponentially following the evolution of the widespread use of computer science [24].…”