Using smartphone pedometer technology for increasing physical activity of older adults

Abstract

Background and objectives: Sedentary lifestyles are associated with many chronic diseases especially in the relatively inactive elderly population, and thus promoting active lifestyle is important. Traditional pedometers can enhance physical activity and health by monitoring the step count in older adults. However, the potential of using modern smartphone pedometer application in the elderly population is not known. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of using smartphone pedometer with traditional pedometer in improving habitual physical activity and weight status in the community-dwelling older adults. Design: Two-group pretest-posttest design. Setting: Community. Participants: Ninety-seven and 54 elderlies volunteered to join the smartphone pedometer group (mean age±SD=60.1±5.5 years; 46 males and 51 females) and the traditional pedometer group (mean age±SD=65.3±8.7 years; 19 males and 34 females), respectively. Both groups of participants underwent a two-week pedometer-enhanced walking intervention using either a smartphone pedometer or a traditional pedometer. Measurements were taken before and after the intervention period. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome measures were the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form (IPAQ-SF) total activity score and the body mass index (BMI). Any change in these outcome measures was quantified by subtracting the pretest scores from the posttest scores. Secondary outcome measure was the average pedometer count (steps per day) over two weeks. Results: Results revealed that the IPAQ-SF total activity score and BMI remained relatively stable in both groups over time (p>0.05). No significant between-group differences in the change scores were noted for both primary outcomes (p>0.05). The average pedometer count was also comparable between the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusions: The smartphone pedometer may be as useful as the traditional pedometer in enhancing habitual physical activity and improving weight status among the seniors. Acknowledgement: The study was funded by the Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Centre, The University of Hong Kong (2014-15).