Use of a Wearable Technology and Motivational Interviews to Improve Sleep in Older Adults With Osteoarthritis and Sleep Disturbance: A Pilot Study.
Oleg Zaslavsky, Hilaire J Thompson, Susan M McCurry and 5 others
PMID 30901479WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with osteoarthritis and insomnia symptoms reported less severe insomnia after 19 weeks of Fitbit tracking, tailored texts, and motivational calls.
Insomnia scores improved by 1.2 points on a 28-point scale. No control group means this is feasibility, not proof.
Key findings
01Twenty-four participants provided baseline data, and twenty-two completed the full protocol with a 96% retention rate.
02Self-reported insomnia severity improved by 1.2 points, with week 19 scores averaging 11.8 on the 0 to 28 Insomnia Severity Index.
03No significant changes were observed for actigraphy sleep measures, step count, self-efficacy, pain, or other sleep diary variables.
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
Single-group pre-post design with no control group, so changes could be natural variation, regression to the mean, or unblinded self-report. Small pilot sample: 24 participants provided baseline data and 22 completed the full protocol. The intervention combined Fitbit tracking, personalized texts, and motivational interviews, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Objective actigraphy sleep measures and step counts did not change significantly; improvements were mainly self-reported. Participants needed a smartphone and had to be able to use a Fitbit and app, so findings may not apply to older adults without technology access or with severe hearing, visual, or cognitive impairment. Participants said the texts were too canned and not sufficiently person-specific, so the messaging may not be optimally designed for behavior change.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists NIH extramural research support but no author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 1.2-point insomnia improvement as proof the program works. The study had no control group, and objective actigraphy sleep measures and step counts did not change significantly.