Observational studyPloS one2020
Tailoring digital apps to support active ageing in a low income community.
Observational study in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physical and Psychological Effects of Smartphone App-Based Walking Interventions in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Systematic Review and Behavior Change Technique-Informed Analysis.JMIR human factors · 2026Pooled it
- Co-designing community-level integral interventions for active ageing: a systematic review from the lens of community-based participatory research.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- The Importance of Activating Factors in Physical Activity Interventions for Older Adults Using Information and Communication Technologies: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Pooled it
- Mapping the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Health Interventions for Older Adults: A Rapid Review.Journal of cross-cultural gerontology · 2026Review
- User Experience of Older Adults With an Age-Friendly Transportation Planning E-Tool: Scoping Review.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Barriers and facilitators to engaging with a digital self-management programme for painful distal upper limb musculoskeletal disorders: A qualitative exploratory study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Essential factors and key features in designing active aging programs and their outcomes: A narrative review study.Journal of education and health promotion · 2023Review
- A Toolkit for Co-Designing towards Community-Based Active Ageing: Lessons Learned during Development.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The use of co-design in developing physical activity interventions for older adults: a scoping review.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Co-Produce, Co-Design, Co-Create, or Co-Construct-Who Does It and How Is It Done in Chronic Disease Prevention? A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of Lifestyle Apps: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2022Review
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Despite physical activity being one of the determinants of healthy aging, older people tend to become less active over the years. Maintaining physical activity levels during the life course is a motivational challenge. Digital tools have been used to change this pattern, such as smartphone applications to support physical activity; but there is a lack of in-depth research on the diversity of user's experiences, especially considering older users or non-users of information and communication technologies.
objectiveOur goal was to identify requirements for designing a mobile app to encourage physical activity in a low-income community population of older people in Brazil (i.e. over 40 years old).
methodWe conducted a qualitative focus group study, involving by co-design of a physical activity application (Pacer)®. Seventeen volunteers were divided into 2 focus groups of physical active and insufficiently active, and 2 further 4 subgroups in each characterised by digital engagement. The following procedures were performed: (i) baseline assessments; (ii) a focus group with physically active older people and a focus group with insufficiently active older people (iii) design activities with both groups to re-design Pacer.
resultsDeveloping physical activity apps for older people should consider the following features: free application, simple interface, motivational messages using audio and visual information, sharing information among users, multimedia input and sharing and user customisation. In particular, we recommend that exercise apps in low-income communities be tailored to our four categories of users differing in baseline physical activity and digital engagement, to match the social and behavioural preferences we discovered.
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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.