Health Technology and how it can improve physical activity in older adults

By Adeoti Jadesola

Physical activity has been defined by Carl Caspersen in 1985 as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. This definition is quite popular as it gives a clear view of what physical activity entails. Therefore, any movement that causes energy use or loss such as walking, gardening, etc. can be categorized as physical activity. A large body of research studies has shown the numerous benefits of these physical activities. Some of these include the reduced occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, reduced stress and depressive symptoms, as well as enhanced mental health. Physical activity also helps to slow down the rate of decline in the function of body systems and improves the quality of life.

Bearing in mind all these benefits, World Health Organization has therefore recommended that Adults between the ages of 18 to 64 years are advised to engage in at least 2 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise across the week or a total combination of both the moderate and vigorous intensity exercises while older adults who are 65 years and above have similar recommendations to that of the adults with the addition of different multi-component physical activity that focuses majorly on their functional balance and strength for a minimum of 3 days per week at moderate or vigorous intensity depending on their capabilities. It is also important to note that no matter how little physical activity you are involved in it is better than being physically inactive or having a sedentary lifestyle.

Despite the benefits and recommendations of physical activity, there is still a reduced level of participation in the general population more so in older adults. This has been attributed to a lot of barriers which can be physical (injury or illness), psychological (lack of motivation and low self-efficacy), responsibilityrelated (caregiving duties, jobs), environmental barriers, etc. Health technology has been one of the interventions that help to tackle some of these barriers to physical activity. Although a sedentary lifestyle can be attributed to technology, health technology has provided different strategies such as fitness technology that not only promote physical activity but helps to keep track of your progress as you engage in more physical activity, therefore, countering this negative effect that it brings. Health technology is an intervention that was developed to solve health problems and improve the quality of life which encompasses digital products and services. Some of these digital products that measure, improve, and track physical activity include; pedometers, accelerometers, heart rate monitors, Smart fabric and sensor technology, Interactive video games, Fitness trackers such as Fitbit, different smartphone applications which provides virtual reality coaching services to motivate an increase in physical activity, etc.

All these products have been reported by different studies to not only increase physical activity but also lead to weight loss and decrease in body mass, reduce health risk behavior in inactive individuals, and decrease systolic blood pressure. Other products like interactive video games have not only improved their level of physical activity but have also helped build up their motivation levels seeing that they can decide to either participate with other people from different places across the world or do it on their own since the majority of these devices send reminders, text messages, and congratulatory messages when a goal has been attained to encourage them. All these overall increases their performance level. A lot of these health devices also help to track your participation levels and how much you are allowed to engage in while monitoring the older adults’ vitals in case of any emergencies making physical activity safer for them.

Ultimately, health technology has helped to promote functional independence, prevent falls, and improve balance confidence and general health which increases physical activity levels of older adults. Physical activity has been defined by Carl Caspersen in 1985 as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. This definition is quite popular as it gives a clear view of what physical activity entails. Therefore, any movement that causes energy use or loss such as walking, gardening, etc. can be categorized as physical activity. A large body of research studies has shown the numerous benefits of these physical activities. Some of these include the reduced occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, reduced stress and depressive symptoms, as well as enhanced mental health. Physical activity also helps to slow down the rate of decline in the function of body systems and improves the quality of life.

Bearing in mind all these benefits, World Health Organization has therefore recommended that Adults between the ages of 18 to 64 years are advised to engage in at least 2 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise across the week or a total combination of both the moderate and vigorous intensity exercises while older adults who are 65 years and above have similar recommendations to that of the adults with the addition of different multi-component physical activity that focuses majorly on their functional balance and strength for a minimum of 3 days per week at moderate or vigorous intensity depending on their capabilities. It is also important to note that no matter how little physical activity you are involved in it is better than being physically inactive or having a sedentary lifestyle.

Despite the benefits and recommendations of physical activity, there is still a reduced level of participation in the general population more so in older adults. This has been attributed to a lot of barriers which can be physical (injury or illness), psychological (lack of motivation and low self-efficacy), responsibilityrelated (caregiving duties, jobs), environmental barriers, etc.

Health technology has been one of the interventions that help to tackle some of these barriers to physical activity. Although a sedentary lifestyle can be attributed to technology, health technology has provided different strategies such as fitness technology that not only promote physical activity but helps to keep track of your progress as you engage in more physical activity, therefore, countering this negative effect that it brings. Health technology is an intervention that was developed to solve health problems and improve the quality of life which encompasses digital products and services. Some of these digital products that measure, improve,

and track physical activity include; pedometers, accelerometers, heart rate monitors, Smart fabric and sensor technology, Interactive video games, Fitness trackers such as Fitbit, different smartphone applications which provides virtual reality coaching services to motivate an increase in physical activity, etc.

All these products have been reported by different studies to not only increase physical activity but also lead to weight loss and decrease in body mass, reduce health risk behavior in inactive individuals, and decrease systolic blood pressure. Other products like interactive video games have not only improved their level of physical activity but have also helped build up their motivation levels seeing that they can decide to either participate with other people from different places across the world or do it on their own since the majority of these devices send reminders, text messages, and congratulatory messages when a goal has been attained to encourage them.

All these overall increases their performance level. A lot of these health devices also help to track your participation levels and how much you are allowed to engage in while monitoring the older adults’ vitals in case of any emergencies making physical activity safer for them.

Ultimately, health technology has helped to promote functional independence, prevent falls, and improve balance confidence and general health which increases physical activity levels of older adults.