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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Mar 22;19(7):3785.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073785.

Impact of Activity Tracker Usage in Combination with a Physical Activity Intervention on Physical and Cognitive Parameters in Healthy Adults Aged 60+: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tina Auerswald  1 , Anna Hendker  2 , Tiara Ratz  3 , Sonia Lippke  3 , Claudia R Pischke  4 , Manuela Peters  5 , Jochen Meyer  6 , Kai von Holdt  6 , Claudia Voelcker-Rehage  1   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Impact of Activity Tracker Usage in Combination with a Physical Activity Intervention on Physical and Cognitive Parameters in Healthy Adults Aged 60+: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tina Auerswald et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Regular physical activity (PA) is of central importance for healthy aging and has a well-known impact on helping older adults maintain their cognitive and physical health. Thus, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of two physical activity interventions primarily conducted at home (print-based or web-based vs. web-based plus the use of an activity tracker) on cognitive and physical health parameters in older adults. Data of participants (n = 551, 60-80 years) were analyzed after being randomly allocated to a waitlist control group (CG), a web-based or print-based intervention group (IG) or a web-based intervention group that also included the use of an activity tracker (AG). Measured parameters were grip strength, endurance (two-minute step test), gait speed (four-meter walk test), cognition (Simon task; balanced integration score (BIS), reaction time and accuracy) and physical self-concept (Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ)). We found the highest effect sizes in all measured dimensions for AG (grip strength, endurance, gait speed, reaction time, physical self-concept), followed by IG (endurance, gait speed, reaction time, physical self-concept) and CG (endurance, gait speed, BIS). Findings suggest that a combined web-based and activity tracker intervention may improve physical functions, physical self-concept, and cognition in community-dwelling older adults.

Keywords: Simon task; activity tracker; cognition; exercise; home-based interventions; older adults; steps.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow and randomization procedure of PROMOTE study (PI = PROMOTE I; PII = PROMOTE II). CG = control group; IG = intervention group without activity tracker; AG = activity tracker group receiving the same web-based intervention as the IG.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pre- and post-test results of (a) grip strength (kg), (b) number of steps per two minutes, (c) heart rate (HR) (beats per minute (bpm)) after the two-minute step test and (d) HR 30 seconds after two-minute step test (bpm). CG = control group; IG = intervention group without activity tracker; AG = activity tracker group receiving the same web-based intervention as the IG.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Time (seconds) needed to complete the four-meter walk test. CG = control group; IG = intervention group without activity tracker; AG = activity tracker group receiving the same web-based intervention as the IG.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Results for the single dimensions (a–c) and total score (d) of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire pre- and post-intervention for all three groups. CG = control group; IG = intervention group without activity tracker; AG = activity tracker group receiving the same web-based intervention as the IG.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Balanced integration score for the Simon task: (a) BIS, (b) accuracy (%) and (c) reaction time (ms) in pre- and post-test conditions. BIS = balanced integration score; CG = control group; IG = intervention group without activity tracker; AG = activity tracker group receiving the same web-based intervention as the IG.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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