The use of mobile devices for physical activity tracking in older adults’ everyday life

Abstract

ObjectiveThe tracking of one’s own physical activity with mobile devices is a way of monitoring and motivating oneself to remain healthy. Older adults’ general use of mobile devices for physical activity tracking has not yet been examined systematically. The study aimed to describe the use of physical activity trackers, smartwatches and smartphones, or tablets for tracking physical activity and to examine the reasons for the use of these technologies.MethodsParticipants aged ≥50 years (N = 1013) living in Switzerland were interviewed in a telephone survey. To address the research questions, we calculated descriptive frequency distributions, tested for differences between groups, and performed logistic regression analyses.ResultsDescriptive and multivariate analyses showed that (a) 20.5% of participants used mobile devices for physical activity tracking; (b) men, younger individuals, those with a strong interest in new technology, and those who frequently exercised had a higher likelihood of using mobile devices for physical activity tracking; and (c) participants more often agreed with reasons for use relating to tracking physical activity and motivating oneself to remain healthy than they did with reasons relating to social factors.ConclusionsThe study presented representative data about the actual use of mobile tracking technology in persons over 50 years of age. Today, mainly active and younger elderly (mostly men) with a high interest in technology are using tracking technologies. Results indicate a need for further studies on motivational and usability aspects regarding the use of mobile health tracking devices by older adults.

Immediate Impact of the COVID-19 Confinement on Physical Activity Levels in Spanish Adults

“…Due to the amount of time the participants are supposed to spend at home, the household accounts for an important part of the performed weekly PA. It is noticeable that social media and application devices are moderately used for PA purposes during this period, although our percentages are similar to others found in previous research [44]. Performing home-based PA through wearables and smartphone applications might be a way forward to promote sufficient PA during this confinement period, although the effects of their implementation to increase PA levels have been generally estimated between small to moderate, and it is still a challenge to reach the most physically inactive people with these type of tools [45].…”

Physical Activity Surveillance Through Smartphone Apps and Wearable Trackers: Examining the UK Potential for Nationally Representative Sampling (Preprint)

“…This is comparable to similar studies looking at smartphone use undertaken in Canadian [16], Swiss [17], German [18] and American [19] samples. These studies also found differences by activity levels [17][18][19], some indications of health status [16] and measures of socio-economic position [16,18,19]. This is a fast moving field and trends indicate that activity trackers will become more prevalent in the coming years.…”

Contradictions in digital health engagement: An activity tracker’s ambiguous influence on vulnerable young adults’ engagement in own health

“… 22 Literature reviews analysing the effect of activity trackers across multiple studies show that trackers have a positive influence on users’ physical activity levels during digital health interventions and that the best results are found when focusing interventions on specific groups of patients. 16 , 23 However, despite the growing body of studies, knowledge about the potential and drawbacks of activity tracking is incipient 9 and research is dominated by studies focusing on the short-term effects on individuals who are already physically active. 24 Recent research in digital health interventions is increasingly occupied with opportunities for healthcare professionals to make use of the large volume of personal health data generated by patients in their everyday lives via tracking technology.…”