Digital Health Technologies to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity and Reduce Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults: A Pilot Study.
Marysol Cacciata, Dion Candelaria, Andrew Thomas Reyes and 6 others
PMID 40059110WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults at cardiovascular risk reduced calorie intake and increased activity over 12 weeks with counseling, a handbook, a scale, a blood pressure monitor, a transmitter, a Fitbit, and MyFitnessPal.
The group receiving texts showed more activity and greater weight loss.
Key findings
01Both groups reduced calorie consumption (22% vs 12%) and increased moderate to vigorous physical activity (70% vs 52%) from baseline to 12 weeks.
02The Get FIT+ group had higher one-week moderate to vigorous physical activity on the Actigraph activity monitor (32% vs 28%) and greater weight loss (6% vs 0.8%).
03Fifty-four older adults were randomized, all completed 12 weeks, and no adverse events were reported.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot with 54 participants and was sized for feasibility, not to prove effectiveness. Both groups received counseling, a handbook, a scale, a blood pressure monitor, a transmitter, a Fitbit, and MyFitnessPal, so the effect of the text messages alone cannot be separated. The study lasted 12 weeks, so it does not show whether eating and activity changes persisted. The authors did not fully record how long participants used each technology or quantify the separate effects of the devices and apps. The two groups were not a digital versus no-digital comparison, because both used digital tools. Participants had to speak English or Spanish and read at the sixth-grade level, so the findings may not apply to people with lower literacy or other language needs.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that personalized text messages alone caused the improvements. All participants also received counseling, a handbook, a scale, a blood pressure monitor, a transmitter, a Fitbit, and MyFitnessPal, and this small pilot was designed to test feasibility rather than prove effectiveness.