Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Aging
Date Submitted: Sep 24, 2018
Date Accepted: Dec 17, 2018
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Relevance of Activity Tracking with Mobile Devices in the Relationship Between Physical Activity Levels and Satisfaction with Physical Fitness in Older Adults: Findings from a Representative Survey
ABSTRACT
Background:
Physical activity has been shown to positively affect many aspects of life, and the positive relationship between physical activity levels and health is well established. Recently, research on the interrelations between physical activity levels and subjective experiences has gained attention. However, the underlying mechanisms that link physical activity levels with subjective experiences of physical fitness have not been sufficiently explained.
Objective:
This study explores the role of physical activity tracking (PAT) in the relationship between physical activity levels and satisfaction with physical fitness in older adults. It is hypothesized that higher levels of physical activity are associated with a higher satisfaction with physical fitness in older adults and that this positive association is stronger for older people who use mobile devices for PAT.
Methods:
As part of this study, 1013 participants aged 50 or older, living in Switzerland, were interviewed via computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied. The interaction effects between physical activity levels and PAT were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis.
Results:
Descriptive analyses showed that n = 719 used at least one mobile device and that 136 out of 719 mobile device users (18.9%) used mobile devices for PAT. In the multivariate regression analysis, frequent physical activity was found to have a positive effect on satisfaction with physical fitness (β = 0.24, P < 0.001). A significant interaction effect between physical activity levels and PAT (β = 0.30, P = 0.03) provides some first evidence that the positive effects of physical activity on satisfaction with physical fitness can be enhanced by PAT.
Conclusions:
The results indicate the potential of PAT to enhance the physical fitness of older adults. However, the results also raise new issues in this context. Recommendations for further research and practice include the acquisition of longitudinal data, a more detailed observation of durations of use, and the development of devices for PAT considering health psychology and gerontology theories.
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