Toward a Smartphone-Based and Conversational Agent–Delivered Just-in-Time Adaptive Holistic Lifestyle Intervention for Older Adults Affected by Cognitive Decline: Two-Week Proof-of-Concept Study

TL;DR

A smartphone app with a conversational agent was tested for delivering lifestyle interventions to older adults with cognitive decline, showing promising feasibility and acceptance.

Contribution

This study is the first to evaluate a smartphone-based just-in-time adaptive intervention delivered by a conversational agent for older adults with cognitive decline.

Findings

Participants showed high adherence (81%) to the conversational agent's interactions over 14 days.

Qualitative feedback highlighted app enjoyment and engagement as key themes.

There was no significant decline in adherence over the study period.

Abstract

Dementia is projected to impact 152 million people by 2050, making it one of the most pressing global health challenges. The neurodegenerative process initiates well before clinical symptoms manifest, advancing from subjective cognitive decline (SCD) to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and ultimately to dementia. Despite the growing prevalence, awareness of dementia prevention is limited, and many individuals express a desire to cease living upon diagnosis. Lifestyle interventions can mitigate cognitive decline, but there is a need for effective, scalable approaches to deliver these interventions to older adults. Digital health interventions, such as app-based just-in-time adaptive interventions, offer a promising solution, but their application in cognitively impaired older populations remains underexplored.

This formative study evaluated the plausibility, acceptability, and adherence to a smartphone-based just-in-time adaptive digital lifestyle intervention delivered by a rule-based conversational agent (CA) among older adults with SCD or MCI. The primary focus was on adherence to the CA-initiated conversational turns (measured objectively via interaction logs), and secondary objectives included perceptions of technology acceptance, working alliance with the CA, self-reported adherence to the suggested health-promoting activity, and feedback for future improvements (through a questionnaire and short interview).

This monocentric study investigated 15 participants (mean age 70.3, SD 5.01; 10 female and 5 male participants) with SCD (n=12) or MCI (n=3). Participants used the study app that delivered daily health-promoting activities through a CA over 2 weeks. Participants received notifications to engage in 7 health-related activities, and adherence to the activities was self-reported. Post intervention, participants rated their experience with the app and assessed their working alliance with the CA through the 6-item session alliance inventory. Data on smartphone use, demographic information, and cognitive performance (via Montreal Cognitive Assessment) were collected during a preintervention visit.

Participants rated the study app positively, especially regarding ease of use and a subset of the working alliance. Adherence to the CA-initiated conversational turn was measured at an average of 81% across 14 days. In total, 27% (mean 4.07, SD 2.27) of participants indicated being vulnerable, and 100% then responded with their state of receptivity, of which 83% (mean 3.14, SD 1.61) were receptive to completing the activity, and 69% (mean 2.86, SD 1.70) self-reported adherence to the activity. There was no significant decline in adherence across the study period. Qualitative results support these findings and present two emerging themes: app enjoyment and enhancing engagement.

This study demonstrates that smartphone-based just-in-time adaptive interventions are feasible and generally well-accepted by older adults with SCD or MCI. However, the findings underscore the need for robust technological infrastructure and potential personal assistance to optimize adherence. Future interventions could benefit from integrating wearables to improve real-time engagement and accurately monitor adherence, ultimately supporting healthy aging and cognitive health in older populations.

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