Telecoaching as a new training method for elderly people: a systematic review

Abstract

Background The numerous restrictive measures implemented during the recent COVID-19 pandemic have reduced the levels of physical activity (PA) carried out by elderly people and telecoaching (TC) could be a training method to maintain the recommended levels of PA. In fact, TC uses information and digital communications technologies, such as computers and mobile devices, to access training services remotely. Thus, this study aimed to systematically review the scientific literature to verify the application, efficacy, and safety of TC training programs. Methods PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases were used for this review, and randomized controlled trials analyzing TC training programs for elderly people were included. Only articles written in English and published in the last decade were considered. Results 3 articles were included in the qualitative synthesis including 194 elderly people. The sample size ranged from 12 to 117 and the TC training program from 8 to 12 weeks. The TC training programs were applied to elderly people with metabolic diseases and respiratory diseases. TC training program was effective in elderly people with metabolic diseases while the benefits for respiratory diseases have yet to be clarified. Conclusion TC seems to be a safe, effective, and injury-free training method, despite its limited application in elderly population. Future studies should better investigate this training method in elderly people in order to evaluate the effectiveness in a wider range of diseases.

Effectiveness of a Sustainable Training Program Combining Supervised Outdoor Exercise with Telecoaching on Physical Performance in Elderly People

“…Few studied have evaluated the effectiveness of telecoaching in elderly people [32], and no study has evaluated the effectiveness of a sustainable training program combining supervised outdoor exercise with telecoaching on physical performance in elderly people.…”

“…In fact, telecoaching involves the use of information technology and digital tools such as computers and mobile devices to access training services remotely [31]. However, as demonstrated by our previous systematic review, few studies have used telecoaching, as a training method, in the elderly population and no studies have used a combined training approach (telecoaching and supervised exercise) [32]. In detail, Hume et al (2022) applied this physical exercise method to elderly patients with lung transplantation and, after 12 weeks, the telecoaching group showed statistically significant improvements in daily steps, movement intensity, and quality of life [33].…”

A Sustainable mHealth Intervention to Promote Physical Activity for Healthy Aging: A Pilot Study of the “Every Walk You Take” Citizen Science Initiative

“…This gender imbalance might reflect a propensity among women to more readily participate in healthrelated initiatives compared to men. Therefore, to address this limitation in future studies, efforts should be made to ensure that recruitment strategies are inclusive and balanced; this could be carried out by emphasizing the benefits of participation [18]. On the other hand, we used educational attainment as a proxy of socioeconomic level.…”

“…This could be through engagement with the steering committees/advisory councils of active living projects [15] or by providing data via ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) that capture active living prospectively [16,17]. The implementation of such citizen science methodologies will help to provide more insights into strategies to promote healthy living considering smart city infrastructure [18,19]. The use of digital technologies, especially mobile applications, allows for the integration of instant feedback from users, making them powerful tools through which to implement citizen science initiatives.…”

Physical Training, the Pandemic and Sustainable Living

“…Similarly, several research groups have investigated the effects of different physical exercise methods or settings (e.g., supervised vs. unsupervised [12,13], indoor vs. outdoor [14,15], and group vs. individual [16,17]). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to the development and increasing use of different training methods, including sustainable exercise such as outdoor exercise (i.e., physical activities in natural environments [18]) and telecoaching (i.e., remote exercise through the use of information technologies and digital communications [19]). These strategies were developed to maintain good health and an adequate level of physical fitness among the population since most of the literature agrees that the practice of physical activities reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic [20].…”