Security Mechanisms of a Mobile Health Application for Promoting Physical Activity among Older Adults

Abstract

Physical activity contributes to the maintenance of health conditions and functioning. However, the percentage of older adults who comply with the recommendations for physical activity levels is low when compared to the same percentages on younger groups. The SmartWalk system aims to encourage older adults to perform physical activity (i.e., walking in the city), which is monitored and adjusted by healthcare providers for best results. The study reported in this article focused on the implementation of SmartWalk security services to keep personal data safe during communications and while at rest, which were validated considering a comprehensive use case. The security framework offers various mechanisms, including an authentication system that was designed to complement the pairs of usernames and passwords with trusted execution environments and token-based features, authorization with different access levels, symmetric and asymmetric key cryptography, critical transactions review, and logging supported by blockchain technology. The resulting implementation contributes for a common understanding of the security features of trustful smart cities’ applications, which conforms with existing legislation and regulations.

Urban Therapy—Urban Health Path as an Innovative Urban Function to Strengthen the Psycho-Physical Condition of the Elderly

“…An important outcome of the project was that the test seniors confirmed the attractiveness of the tested solution, i.e., the linking of the path elements with the mobile application. Other studies have also shown that it is possible to increase motivation for physical activity among seniors [ 30 , 63 , 64 ]. The app provided instructions for performing exercises (videos and text) and mobilised movement through the function of individual features.…”