JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In Latin American countries (LAC), the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) has increased rapidly in the last decades. Mobile health (mHealth) applications are now widely available at low cost with easy implementation, offering an opportunity to encourage healthy lifestyles in older adults. However, currently, there are no available mHealth applications that integrate multimodal lifestyle interventions adapted to Chilean older adults.

Objective:

This study aims to describe the development and validation of the mHealth NeoMayor, a mHealth application designed to promote healthy lifestyles, cardiovascular and brain health in Chilean older adults.

Methods:

NeoMayor was developed iteratively, including feedback from users, a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, researchers, and software developers. Using Lean UX methodology, we ensured user involvement throughout the design and validation process. The research was conducted in two phases. In the Design & Development phase, we created and adapted evidence-based recommendations. In the validation phase, we did a pilot study to assess usability, adherence, and cardiovascular health. Sixty functionally independent and cognitively healthy participants used the NeoMayor App for two months. Clinical and cognitive assessments were conducted before and after app use. We conducted 26 co-creation sessions with users, consulted experts, did a literature review, and collaborated with a team of app developers to create a functional prototype.

Results:

The mean age of the participants was 71 ± 15 years, 83% were women, with an average of 9.8 ± 3.6 years of education. After two months of intervention, usability testing indicated high engagement and adherence, with an average app use of 6 minutes per day twice a week. Participants showed improvements in global cardiovascular health, with a mean increase in the Life´s Essential 8 cardiovascular health (CVH) index score from 64 ± 10 to 68 ± 11 (p<0.001), with reductions in systolic blood pressure (10 mmHg); waist circumference reduction (7 cm); increased HDL cholesterol levels; improvements in the self-report questionnaires on Physical Activity and Diet; increased score in the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB); faster sit to stand and gait speed tests. The app was optimized for broad compatibility with Android devices, safe data collection and storage, and compliance with data privacy regulations following good clinical practices. The final product is ready for a randomized controlled trial.

Conclusions:

This study represents the first initiative in Chile to develop and validate a mHealth tool to promote healthy lifestyles, cardiovascular, and brain health in older adults, offering an effective, accessible, and affordable solution for promoting healthy aging in LAC.