Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36767248›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2023

Verification of the Effectiveness of a Communication Application in Improving Social Connectedness and Physical Health among Unacquainted Older Men: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.

Sakino Shinokawa, Hiroki Abe, Risa Takashima, Ryuta Onishi, Michiyo Hirano

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
11.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Experiences of technology for increasing physical activity of older adults: a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Sakino ShinokawaGraduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12W5, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
Hiroki AbeGraduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12W5, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
Risa TakashimaFaculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12W5, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-2480-1983
Ryuta OnishiFaculty of Nursing, Toyama Prefectural University, 2-2-78, Toyama 930-0975, Japan.
Michiyo HiranoFaculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N12W5, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-2496-8505
Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare · JPSapporo University · JPToyama Prefectural University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the effectiveness of an application (app) in establishing social connectedness among unacquainted older men, as well as improving their physical health. The nine participants were men aged 65 and older in the subarctic zone of Hokkaido, Japan. A mix of quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted as the study design. A questionnaire survey was completed before and after the intervention, and a semi-structured interview was conducted after the intervention. An app-installed smartphone was loaned to the participants, which allowed them to share pictures, voice recordings, and their step count. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and qualitative data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis to generate categories. The average age of the participants was 77.7 years. The relationship between participants who were interacting for the first time through the app advanced as their understanding of each other's personalities deepened. The average step count during the third and fourth months was significantly higher than in the first two months. By using the app, older men were able to build relationships with one another. In addition, visualizing the number of steps on the app was effective in improving the number of steps.

Indexed as

Mobile ApplicationsSmartphoneAgedCommunicationFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsResearch DesignSurveys and Questionnairesagedcommunicationexerciseinformation technologymen’s healthsmartphone

Identifiers

PMID36767248
PMCPMC9915091
OpenAlexW4317502662

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.