Predicting Exercise Adherence and Physical Activity in Older Adults Based on Tablet Engagement: A Post-hoc Study

TL;DR

This study shows that older adults' engagement with a tablet app can predict their adherence to home-based exercises, supporting sustained physical activity, though it does not necessarily increase overall activity levels.

Contribution

It demonstrates that tablet engagement is a significant predictor of exercise adherence in older adults within a blended intervention.

Findings

Older adults performed an average of 12 exercises per week.

Tablet app use predicted exercise frequency and days.

Physical activity levels did not significantly increase.

Abstract

Sufficient physical activity can prolong the ability of older adults to live inde-pendently. Community-based exercise programs can be enhanced by regularly performing exercises at home. To support such a home-based exercise program, a blended intervention was developed that combined the use of a tablet application with a personal coach. The purpose of the current study was to explore to which extent tablet engagement predicted exercise adherence and physical activity. The results show that older adults (n=133; M=71 years of age) that participated 6 months in a randomized controlled trial, performed at average 12 home-based ex-ercised per week and exercised on average 3 days per week, thereby meeting WHO guidelines. They used the tablet app on average 7 times per week. Multiple linear regressions revealed that the use of the app statistically predicted the num-ber of exercises that were performed and the number of exercise days. Physical activity, however, did not increase and also could not be predicted by exercise frequency or app use. We conclude that engagement with a tablet can contribute to sustained exercise behavior.