Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers
Promoting physical activity amongst older adults represents a major public health goal and community-led exercise programmes present benefits in promoting active lifestyles. Commercial activity trackers potentially encourage positive behaviour change with respect to physical exercise. This qualitati...
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doaj-310715c1989f4710a6963edfec6bb9062021-09-26T00:20:28ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012021-09-01189818981810.3390/ijerph18189818Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity TrackersJessica O’Brien0Amy Mason1Marica Cassarino2Jason Chan3Annalisa Setti4School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, T23 XA50 Cork, IrelandDepartment of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Limerick, V94 TPX Limerick, IrelandSchool of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, T23 XA50 Cork, IrelandSchool of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, T23 XA50 Cork, IrelandSchool of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, T23 XA50 Cork, IrelandPromoting physical activity amongst older adults represents a major public health goal and community-led exercise programmes present benefits in promoting active lifestyles. Commercial activity trackers potentially encourage positive behaviour change with respect to physical exercise. This qualitative study investigated the experiences and attitudes of older adults following a 6-week community-led walking programme utilising activity trackers. Eleven community-dwelling older women aged 60+ completed individual phone interviews following their involvement in the programme. The programme, codesigned with a group of senior citizens, equipped participants with wrist-worn activity trackers and included biweekly check-in sessions with a researcher to monitor progress and support motivation. Interviews explored participants’ experiences of the programme and of using activity trackers for the purpose of becoming more active. A thematic analysis produced three main themes: ‘programme as a source of motivation’, ‘user experiences with the technology’ and ‘views on social dimension of the programme’. Overall, participants highlighted the self-monitoring function of activity trackers as most beneficial for their exercise levels. This study provides insights into the personal and social factors perceived by older adults in relation to being part of a community-led programme using activity trackers. It highlights the role of the programme and trackers in maintaining motivation to stay active.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9818physical activitytechnologyuser perspectivesolder adults |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jessica O’Brien Amy Mason Marica Cassarino Jason Chan Annalisa Setti |
spellingShingle |
Jessica O’Brien Amy Mason Marica Cassarino Jason Chan Annalisa Setti Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health physical activity technology user perspectives older adults |
author_facet |
Jessica O’Brien Amy Mason Marica Cassarino Jason Chan Annalisa Setti |
author_sort |
Jessica O’Brien |
title |
Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers |
title_short |
Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers |
title_full |
Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers |
title_fullStr |
Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Older Women’s Experiences of a Community-Led Walking Programme Using Activity Trackers |
title_sort |
older women’s experiences of a community-led walking programme using activity trackers |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1661-7827 1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2021-09-01 |
description |
Promoting physical activity amongst older adults represents a major public health goal and community-led exercise programmes present benefits in promoting active lifestyles. Commercial activity trackers potentially encourage positive behaviour change with respect to physical exercise. This qualitative study investigated the experiences and attitudes of older adults following a 6-week community-led walking programme utilising activity trackers. Eleven community-dwelling older women aged 60+ completed individual phone interviews following their involvement in the programme. The programme, codesigned with a group of senior citizens, equipped participants with wrist-worn activity trackers and included biweekly check-in sessions with a researcher to monitor progress and support motivation. Interviews explored participants’ experiences of the programme and of using activity trackers for the purpose of becoming more active. A thematic analysis produced three main themes: ‘programme as a source of motivation’, ‘user experiences with the technology’ and ‘views on social dimension of the programme’. Overall, participants highlighted the self-monitoring function of activity trackers as most beneficial for their exercise levels. This study provides insights into the personal and social factors perceived by older adults in relation to being part of a community-led programme using activity trackers. It highlights the role of the programme and trackers in maintaining motivation to stay active. |
topic |
physical activity technology user perspectives older adults |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9818 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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