Associated factors with adhesion and adherence of older users to a physical activity digital application

Abstract

Despite the widespread recommendation of practicing physical activity (PA) throughout the life course, sedentary behavior increases with aging and have a high prevalence in older persons. Studies involving strategies to overcome the barriers encountered for the regular practice of PA among the elderly are desirable. Smartphone applications are potential tools for promoting physical activity in older persons, however, it is still necessary to understand better the profile of older users that adhere to this strategy and that dropout their use over time. Objective: To identify factors of adhesion and adherence of older users to a PA application in the town of São Carlos - SP. Method: An observational, descriptive, longitudinal study will be carried out in São Carlos - SP. It is a study part of a larger research project named Playful Data-driven Active Urban Living (PAUL) FAPESP 2016/50249-3. The sample will be composed of 100 seniors recruited through wide dissemination in the municipality that uses the application for at least one day. Those who initiate use will respond to an online application survey with sociodemographic data, health conditions, and PA levels. The use of the application will be monitored for three months. Descriptive analysis and survival analysis will be performed to evaluate factors associated with adherence. Expected results: We expect that the majority of users are going to be female, with a high level of literacy and few reported diseases. The dropout associated factors may be gender, age, higher body mass indexes, a greater number of diseases and low initial PA level.