ArticleDigital health
Older adults' experiences of using a wearable activity tracker with health professional feedback over a 12-month randomised controlled trial.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- A scoping review of the feasibility, usability, and efficacy of digital interventions in older adults concerning physical activity and/or exercise.Frontiers in aging · 2025Pooled it
- Deconstructing Fitbit to Specify the Effective Features in Promoting Physical Activity Among Inactive Adults: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Trial
- Experiences of activity monitoring and perceptions of digital support among working individuals with hip and knee osteoarthritis - a focus group study.BMC public health · 2022Trial
- 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.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- The Effect of a Consumer-Based Activity Tracker Intervention on Accelerometer-Measured Sedentary Time Among Retirees: A Randomized Controlled REACT Trial.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Trial
- Community-Dwelling Older Adults' Experience With Activity Trackers: Effects of Monitoring Physical Activity.Journal of gerontological nursing · 2026Article
- Social factors, wearable activity tracker use frequency, and physical activity patterns among U.S. older adults: findings from a national cross-sectional survey.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Patient-Perceived Factors Influencing Physical Activity Sensor Use in Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation: Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies Using Thematic Synthesis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2026Review
- Sex-specific factors associated with acceptance of smartwatches among urban older adults: the Itabashi longitudinal study on aging.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Expensive Ornaments or Essential Technology? A Qualitative Metasynthesis to Identify Lessons From User Experiences of Wearable Devices and Smart Technology in Health Care.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2023Review
- Observational
- Older Adults' User Engagement With Mobile Health: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Studies.Innovation in aging · 2023Review
- Digital Engagement of Older Adults: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Benefits of a Wearable Activity Tracker with Safety Features for Older Adults: An Intervention Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Using wearables to promote physical activity in old age : Feasibility, benefits, and user friendliness.Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie · 2022Review
- A Personalized Smartphone-Delivered Just-in-time Adaptive Intervention (JitaBug) to Increase Physical Activity in Older Adults: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Older Adult Use and Outcomes in a Digital Musculoskeletal (MSK) Program, by Generation.Frontiers in digital health · 2021Article
- Development of the Digital Assessment of Precise Physical Activity (DAPPA) Tool for Older Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Patterns of Use and Key Predictors for the Use of Wearable Health Care Devices by US Adults: Insights from a National Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- "Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWearable activity trackers can help older adults remain physically active. However, knowledge of the user experience during long-term use is scarce. Therefore, this study examined older adults' experiences with, and perceptions of, wearable activity trackers combined with health professional feedback after a year's use as part of a randomised controlled trial.
methodsTwenty older adults (73.6 ± 5.5 years) who had used a Jawbone UP24 activity tracker for 12 months during a randomised controlled trial were recruited for this study. All participants had at least one chronic condition. Acceptability data relating to activity tracker wear time was combined with focus group data to explore participants experiences of long-term activity tracker use. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.
resultsThe activity tracker was well-accepted with the device worn on an average of 86% of possible days and participants reported an overall positive experience. Four themes were identified: (a) increased sense of awareness of activity levels is related to motivation; (b) the level of engagement with the activity tracker influences the user experience; (c) the role of feedback from a health professional in providing ongoing support; d) the role of habits in supporting long-term behaviour change.
conclusionsThe use of an activity tracker combined with health professional support can assist older adults to maintain their activity levels over 12 months. Consideration should be given to the previous technology experience of users and the design and accuracy of an activity tracker when recommending their use in a research or clinical setting.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.