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Review
. 2023 Oct 3:9:20552076231203785.
doi: 10.1177/20552076231203785. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Needs assessment in community-dwelling older adults toward digital interventions to promote physical activity: Cross-sectional survey study

Manuel Weber  1   2 , Kai-Uwe Schmitt  1 , Anja Frei  2 , Milo A Puhan  2 , Anja M Raab  1
Affiliations
Review

Needs assessment in community-dwelling older adults toward digital interventions to promote physical activity: Cross-sectional survey study

Manuel Weber et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Background: Tackling physical inactivity represents a key global public health challenge. Strategies to increase physical activity (PA) are therefore warranted. Despite the rising availability of digital interventions (DIs), which offer tremendous potential for PA promotion, there has been inadequate attention to the special needs of older adults.

Objective: The aim was to investigate community-dwelling older adults' needs, requirements, and preferences toward DIs to promote PA.

Methods: The target population of this cross-sectional study was community-dwelling older adults (≥60 years old) within German-speaking Switzerland. Potential respondents were informed about the study and sent a link to a self-developed and self-administered online survey by our cooperating institutions.

Results: Overall, 922 respondents who completed the online survey were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the sample was 72 years (SD 6.4, range 60-98). The preferred delivery mode of DIs to promote PA was a website (428/922, 46.4%) and 80.3% (740/922) preferred video-based structures. Most respondents expressed the need for personal access, personal goals, personal messages, and a personal contact in case of problems or questions (585/817, 71.6%; 546/811, 67.3%; 536/822, 65.2%; 536/822, 65.2%). Memory training, psychological wellbeing, and nutrition were mainly rated as relevant additional content of DIs to promote PA (690/849, 81.2%; 661/845, 78.2%, 619/849, 72.9%).

Conclusion: Community-dwelling older adults may be willing to use DIs to promote PA in the long term, but this study identified particular needs and requirements in terms of design, technological realization, delivery mode, support, and individualization/personalization among the sample. Our results can inform future developments of DIs to promote PA specifically tailored to older adults. However, caution is warranted in interpreting the findings due to the sample's high PA and education levels.

Keywords: Health; aging; behavior change; digitalization; exercise; lifestyle; technology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow chart of study enrollment.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Perceived importance of different attributes within digital interventions to promote physical activity.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Perceived importance of different intervention foci within digital interventions to promote physical activity.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Perceived importance of additional content within digital interventions to promote physical activity.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Density plots of PA by subgroups; (a) experience with DIs to promote PA and (b) long-term use of DIs to promote PA. DI: digital intervention; PA: physical activity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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