ArticleAge and ageing2023
Mobile applications to prescribe physical exercise in frail older adults: review of the available tools in app stores.
Article in Age and ageing, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical Usability of Exercise Prescription Apps for Professional Use: Systematic Review and Multidimensional Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Pooled it
- 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
- The Effect of Digital Literacy Training on Physical Activity App Acceptance and Behavioral Intentions Among Older Women: An Experimental Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Trial
- Clin-STAR Corner: Practice Changing Advances at the Interface of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and Geriatrics.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Review
- The Benefits of a Digital Exercise Intervention for Older Adults: Findings From the Fittle Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026Article
- Physical activity during COVID-19 pandemic: A 5-year retrospect.Sports medicine and health science · 2025Review
- Effects of the Prescription of Physical Exercises Mediated by Mobile Applications on the Health of Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Healthy Movement Leads to Emotional Connection: Development of the Movement Poomasi "Wello!" Application Based on Digital Psychosocial Touch-A Mixed-Methods Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
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- A scoping review of the reporting quality of reviews of commercially and publicly available mobile health apps.JAMIA open · 2025Review
- Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR).The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2025Review
- Exercise interventions for pulmonary function impairment: rehabilitation strategies from the acute phase to long-term sequelae.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Review
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionDifferent remote interventions, such as applications (apps), have been used to continue promoting healthy ageing and preventing disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. The growing trend of apps in health is exponential and may facilitate scaling up physical activity prescription. Numerous tools are available, but little is known regarding their appropriateness, validation and recommendation, especially for frail older adults.
methodsIn-house, we developed an application that makes both the Apple app Store and the Google Play Store searchable using topic-related keywords and facilitates the extraction of basic app-information of the search results. The study was aimed at apps available to an English-speaking market. The resulting apps were filtered using various inclusion and exclusion criteria. The resultant apps underwent a more in-depth characterisation and searches for scientific publications on each app website and PubMed.
resultsFrom an initial search result of >2,800 apps, 459 met the initial inclusion criteria. After a more in-depth review of their features, 39 apps remained for possible app in older frail patients. After testing them, 22 apps were excluded. Seventeen apps fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were deemed appropriate after peer review. Of these, only one app, Vivifrail, had any type of publication/published evidence.
conclusionApps can be valuable tool in prescribing exercise for frail older adults living in the community. However, few apps seem useful on a large scale, and there is limited evidence to support their effectiveness. It is important to invest in adapting Information and Communication Technologies to this population group.
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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.