Using technology for tracking older people's activity can be a very useful practice

Research conducted this year in Japan evaluated the use of a health bracelet that can measure health indicators like heart rate and blood pressure, and data like the number of steps taken during the day and quality of sleep, and concluded that some of these factors can actually be improved when wearing the bracelet. The device weighted only 24 grams and could inform the researchers about the patients' progress immediately; it could not only measure their data, but would also let them see their results as time progressed, and would allow them to set goals for themselves to improve motivation and engagement.

Eight elderly adults between 65 and 76 years of age (the average was 70 years) were included in the study. All participants had a relatively good health status prior to the beginning of the research and didn't suffer from any chronic diseases. They were trained on how to properly use the device and were then asked to wear it every day for 3 consecutive months. During this time period, scientists were able to track the data mentioned above to assess whether the use of the bracelet (and knowing that their activity was being observed) would have an impact on their health.

At the beginning of the study, participants would walk over 6500 steps every day. For the first 2 months this barely changed, but during the third month, they showed a significant increase in this parameter, walking close to 8500 steps every 24 hours. This was an enormous and relevant improvement. Walking is known to be an essential activity for the elderly, as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and promotes overall health.

Heart rate and blood pressure were also modified during the study, but the change was too small to consider valid. The same happened with the quality of sleep. It was assessed by monitoring the movement of the patients during the night, but ultimately, the changes it suffered were relatively small and weren't taken into account.

Using technology for tracking older people's activity can be a very useful practice. Not only does it inform physicians about the patients' health status, but also motivates them to be more active, as they can keep track of themselves and makes them know that they are being assessed by their doctors on a consistent manner.

References:

Zhou, Siyu & Ogihara, Atsushi & Nishimura, Shoji & Jin, Qun. (2019). Analysis of health changes and the association of health indicators in the elderly using TCM pulse diagnosis assisted with ICT devices: A time series study. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 27. 105-113. 10.1016/j.eujim.2019.02.010.

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