Exploring Breaks in Sedentary Behavior of Older Adults Immediately After Receiving Personalized Haptic Feedback: Intervention Study

Age Unplugged: A Brief Narrative Review on the Intersection of Digital Tools, Sedentary and Physical Activity Behaviors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This brief narrative review assesses how digital technologies-such as wearables, mobile health apps, and various digital tools such as computers, game consoles, tablets, smartphones, and extended reality systems-can influence sedentary and physical activity behaviors among community-dwelling older adults. Each section highlights the central role of these technologies in promoting active aging through increased motivation, engagement and customized experiences. It underlines the critical importance of functionality, usability and adaptability of devices and confirms the effectiveness of digital interventions in increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior. The sustainable impact of these technologies needs to be further investigated, with a focus on adapting digital health strategies to the specific needs of older people. The research advocates an interdisciplinary approach and points out that such collaborations are essential for the development of accessible, effective and ethical solutions. This perspective emphasizes the potential of digital tools to improve the health and well-being of the aging population and recommends their strategic integration into health promotion and policy making.

Replacing screen time, with physical activity and sleep time: influence on cardiovascular indicators and inflammatory markers in Brazilian children

OBJECTIVE

To examine if the substitution of different screen time intervals with light physical activity (LPA), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sleep is associated with cardiovascular indicators and inflammatory markers in children.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study developed with 186 children aged between six and 11 years old from public schools in southern Brazil. CRF was measured with the 6-minute running and walking test, following the Brazil Sports Project procedures. The percentage of fat was evaluated through DXA. LPA and MVPA were measured using accelerometers. Sleep and screen time were assessed by questionnaires answered by parents. Leptin and C-reactive protein were measured by fasting blood collection. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were determined through a digital sphygmomanometer. Isotemporal substitution models were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Replacing 1 h of screen time with MVPA was associated with lower BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fat percentage, leptin, and C-reactive protein. When screen time was substituted for sleep time, lower waist circumference was observed. Regarding the substitution of 1 h of screen time with LPA, significant values were found only for leptin.

CONCLUSION

The replacement of screen time with physical activities of different intensities and sleep time was associated with benefits in cardiovascular indicators and inflammatory markers in childhood.

The Importance of Activating Factors in Physical Activity Interventions for Older Adults Using Information and Communication Technologies: Systematic Review

Background

In an aging population, it is important to activate older adults in taking care of their own health. Increasing physical activity is one way to avoid or lessen age-related physical and mental impairments. Interest in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools to promote physical activity among older adults is growing considerably. Such tools are suitable for communicating activation factors-skills, knowledge, and motivation-by integrating a variety of behavior change techniques (BCTs) to enhance physical activity. Although activation factors have been incorporated into physical activity interventions using ICT, little is known about the actual integration methods used in such interventions or about the effects of activation factors on influencing behavior change.

Objective

The first aim of this study was to identify which of the activation factors were covered in physical activity-promoting ICT interventions for older adults and which BCTs were used to address them. The second objective was to classify the user interaction interfaces and delivery modes that were used to promote these activation factors.

Methods

The search engines of PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were used to search for and identify articles examining the effectiveness of ICT interventions for promoting physical activity in older adults. References and related data were selected, extracted, and reviewed independently by 2 reviewers. The risk of bias was assessed, and any conflict was addressed by a third separate reviewer. Selected articles included older adults aged ≥55 years without pre-existing medical diseases and other physical or mental conditions that could hinder movement.

Results

In total, 368 records were retrieved, and 13 studies met all inclusion criteria. Articles differed in terms of themes, timescales, user interaction interfaces, and outcome measures; therefore, a quantitative data synthesis was not feasible. Motivation was the most promoted activation factor among all trials (33 times). An app and a smartwatch were used in the majority of intervention groups (7/20, 35%) for tracking physical activity and receiving personalized feedback based on the individual goals. Skills (25 times) and knowledge (17 times) were the next most commonly addressed activation factors. Face-to-face interaction was the most used approach to targeting users' skills, including providing instructions on how to perform a behavior and exchanging knowledge via education on the health consequences of insufficient physical activity. Overall, integrating all 3 activation factors and using multiple user interaction interfaces with a variety of delivery modes proved the most effective in improving physical activity.

Conclusions

This study highlights commonly used BCTs and preferred modes of their delivery. So far, only a limited number of available BCTs (21/99, 21%) have been integrated. Considering their effectiveness, a larger variety of BCTs that address skills, knowledge, and motivation should be exploited in future ICT interventions.

eHealth Platforms to Promote Autonomous Life and Active Aging: A Scoping Review

New technologies, namely eHealth platforms, are being used more than ever before. These platforms enable older people to have a more independent lifestyle, enhance their participation, and improve their well-being. Information and communication technologies are expected to be linked to the triad of aging, social inclusion, and active participation, which is in line with the implementation of Smart Healthy and Age-Friendly Environments. This scoping review aimed to map eHealth platforms designed to promote autonomous life and active aging. The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the PRISMA-ScR checklist were used. A search was conducted on MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL Complete (via EBSCOhost), Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (via EBSCOhost), SciELO, DART-Europe, CAPES, and MedNar databases. Fourteen studies were included. This scoping review synthesized information on eHealth platforms designed to promote active living, their domains of intervention, and the outcomes assessed in those studies that have implemented and evaluated these eHealth platforms.

The role of socio-demographic factors and physical functioning in the intra- and interpersonal variability of older adults' sedentary time: an observational two-country study

BACKGROUND

Insight into the variability of older adults' sedentary time is needed to inform future interventions. The aim of this study was to examine the intra- and interpersonal variability in sedentary time, and the moderating role of socio-demographics, physical functioning and geographical location in this variability.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from 818 community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 74.8 years; 61.1%women) of the Active Lifestyle and the Environment in Chinese Seniors and Belgian Environmental Physical Activity Study in Seniors were used. An interview questionnaire was administered to collect socio-demographic information. The Short Physical Performance Battery was performed to evaluate physical functioning, and Actigraph GT3X( +) accelerometers were used to estimate sedentary time. Linear mixed models with random intercepts at the neighborhood, person and day levels examined the variability in sedentary time, and the moderating role of socio-demographics, physical functioning and geographical location within this variability.

RESULTS

Most of the variance in accelerometry-assessed sedentary time was due to intrapersonal variability across periods of the day (72.4%) followed by interpersonal variability within neighborhoods (25.6%). Those who were older, men, lived in Hong Kong, and experienced a lower level of physical functioning were more sedentary than their counterparts. Sedentary time increased throughout the day, with highest levels of sedentary time observed between 6:00 and 9:00 pm. The patterns of sedentary time across times of the day differed by gender, educational attainment, age, physical functioning and/or geographical location. No significant differences were detected between week and weekend day sedentary time.

CONCLUSIONS

The oldest old, men, and those with functional limitations are important target groups for sedentary behavior interventions. As sedentary time was the highest in the evening future sedentary behavior intervention should pay particular attention to the evening hours. The variations in diurnal patterns of sedentary time between population subgroups suggest that personalized just-in-time adaptive interventions might be a promising strategy to reduce older adults' sedentary time.

mHealth-Supported Interventions With Potential to Address Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Sedentary behavior (SB) is an independent risk for negative health outcomes in older adults. Mobile health (mHealth) technology has potential to address SB in this population. This scoping review aimed to describe, synthesize, and identify gaps in literature on mHealth-supported interventions with potential to reduce sedentariness in older people. Following an iterative search of five major databases, 13 studies were included in the final review. Only three papers described SB-related factors as the primary target of intervention. mHealth-Driven components were frequently paired with nonmobile approaches and aided self-regulation of physical activity as opposed to SB. Most SB-related outcomes were not statistically significant or were inconclusive. This scoping review revealed a paucity of research applying mHealth-supported approaches to directly overcome sedentariness in older people. Protocol studies included in the review provide evidence that efforts to address this research gap continue to be made, but the need for additional high-quality research remains.