Currently submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 16, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 18, 2026 - Dec 13, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Effectiveness of Digital Health Technology Interventions in Improving 24-Hour Physical Activity Behavior in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Aging is the primary cause of declining physical function in the elderly and increased prevalence of chronic diseases, thereby increasing the economic burden on families and society. Therefore, promoting 'healthy aging' will have significant social and economic implications.
Methods:
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of digital health technology(DHT) interventions for older adults in improving 24-hour physical activity behavior.
Results:
A meta-analysis of 30 trials (3,555 participants) showed improvements for total physical activity (MD=22.94, 95%CI= (14.25, 31.62), p<0.00001), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MD=8.17, 95%CI= (4.73, 11.61), p<0.00001), low-intensity physical activity (MD=15.92, 95%CI= (11.27, 20.57), p<0.00001), sedentary behavior (MD=-26.98, 95%CI= (-42.29, -11.66), p=0.0006), daily steep (MD=665.31, 95%CI= (498.16, 836.47), p<0.00001). However, there was no significant improvement in sleep duration, sleep efficiency, physical function, or psychological status compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
Digital health technology improved 24-hour physical activity behaviour in older adults, but not sleep, physical function or psychological status; future trials with optimised interventions and longer follow-up are warranted. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
Citation
Request queued. Please wait while the file is being generated. It may take some time.
Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.