Nudge-Based Interventions on Health Promotion Activity Among Very Old People: A Pragmatic, 2-Arm, Participant-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.
Yukari Yamada, Tomoe Uchida, Shusaku Sasaki and 4 others
PMID 36529275WHAT IT FOUND
Very old retirement community residents who received a time-limited quiz message and a commitment question had higher daily tablet use than controls about a month later.
The effect was larger in men. It did not measure physical activity.
Key findings
01The two-step nudge increased daily tablet computer use compared with control during the second and third 4-week periods.
02The intervention effect was mainly seen among men.
03The outcome was daily tablet computer responses, not a direct indicator of health behavior.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The trial used an existing project in one retirement community, so the residents may not represent other older adults. The main outcome was tablet computer responses, not a direct measure of physical activity or health behavior. The study could not determine which part of the two-step intervention worked. The effect was mainly in men, so it may not apply equally to women.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these nudges improved physical activity or health. The trial measured tablet responses, not walking or health outcomes. It also cannot separate the effect of the quiz message from the commitment question.