Effects of online group exercises for older adults on physical, psychological and social wellbeing: a pilot trial

📝 Abstract

Background. There are many factors that can make of group exercises a challenging setting for older adults. A major one in the elderly population is the difference in the level of skills. In this paper we report on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes of a novel virtual gym that enables online group-exercises in older adults with different levels of skills. Methods. A total of 37 older adults (65-87 years old) followed a personalized exercise program based on the OTAGO program for fall prevention, for a period of eight weeks. Participants could join online group exercises using a tablet-based application. Participants were assigned either to a Control group (individual training) or Social group (online group-exercising). Pre- and post- measurements were taken to analyze the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes. The study received ethical approval from the CREATE-NET Ethics Committee on ICT Research Involving Human Beings (Application N. 2014-001). Results. There were improvements in both the Social and Control groups in terms of physical outcomes. Interestingly though, while in the Control group fitter individuals tended to adhere more to the training, this was not the case for the Social group, where the initial level had no effect on adherence. For psychological and social wellbeing outcomes there were improvements on both groups, regardless of the application used. Conclusion. Group exercising in a virtual gym can be effective in motivating and enabling individuals who are less fit to train as much as fitter individuals. This not only indicates the feasibility of training together despite differences in physical skills but also suggests that online exercise can reduce the effect of skills on adherence in a social context. Longer term interventions with more participants are instead recommended to assess impacts on wellbeing.

💡 Analysis

Background. There are many factors that can make of group exercises a challenging setting for older adults. A major one in the elderly population is the difference in the level of skills. In this paper we report on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes of a novel virtual gym that enables online group-exercises in older adults with different levels of skills. Methods. A total of 37 older adults (65-87 years old) followed a personalized exercise program based on the OTAGO program for fall prevention, for a period of eight weeks. Participants could join online group exercises using a tablet-based application. Participants were assigned either to a Control group (individual training) or Social group (online group-exercising). Pre- and post- measurements were taken to analyze the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes. The study received ethical approval from the CREATE-NET Ethics Committee on ICT Research Involving Human Beings (Application N. 2014-001). Results. There were improvements in both the Social and Control groups in terms of physical outcomes. Interestingly though, while in the Control group fitter individuals tended to adhere more to the training, this was not the case for the Social group, where the initial level had no effect on adherence. For psychological and social wellbeing outcomes there were improvements on both groups, regardless of the application used. Conclusion. Group exercising in a virtual gym can be effective in motivating and enabling individuals who are less fit to train as much as fitter individuals. This not only indicates the feasibility of training together despite differences in physical skills but also suggests that online exercise can reduce the effect of skills on adherence in a social context. Longer term interventions with more participants are instead recommended to assess impacts on wellbeing.

📄 Content

1 Effects of online group exercises for older adults on physical, psychological and social wellbeing: a pilot trial

Marcos Baez1, Iman Khaghani Far2, Francisco Ibarra3, Michela Ferron4, Daniele Didino5,6, Fabio Casati7

1 Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento, Trento, TN, Italy 2 Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento, Trento, TN, Italy 3 Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento, Trento, TN, Italy 4 Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, TN, Italy 5 Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. 6 Department of Economy, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia. 7 Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento, Trento, TN, Italy

Corresponding Author Marcos Baez1
Via Sommarive 9, Povo / Trento, 38123, Italy
Email address: baez@disi.unitn.it

2 Abstract.
Background. Intervention programs to promote physical activity in older adults, either in group or home settings, have shown equivalent health outcomes but different results when considering adherence. Group-based interventions seem to achieve higher participation in the long-term. However, there are many factors that can make of group exercises a challenging setting for older adults. A major one, due to the heterogeneity of this particular population, is the difference in the level of skills. In this paper we report on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes of a technology-based intervention that enable online group exercises in older adults with different levels of skills.

Methods. A total of 37 older adults between 65 and 87 years old followed a personalized exercise program based on the OTAGO program for fall prevention, for a period of eight weeks. Participants could join online group exercises using a tablet-based application. Participants were assigned either to the Control group, representing the traditional individual home-based training program, or the Social group, representing the online group exercising. Pre- and post- measurements were taken to analyze the physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes.

Results. After the eight-weeks training program there were improvements in both the Social and Control groups in terms of physical outcomes, given the high level of adherence of both groups. Interestingly though, while in the Control group fitter individuals tended to adhere more to the training, this was not the case for the Social group, where the initial level had no effect on adherence. For psychological outcomes there were improvements on both groups, regardless of the application used. There was no significant difference between groups in social wellbeing outcomes, both groups seeing a decrease in loneliness despite the presence of social features in the Social group,. However, online social interactions have shown to be correlated to the decrease in loneliness in the Social group.

Conclusion. The results indicate that technology-supported online group exercising which hides individual differences in physical skills is effective in motivating and enabling individuals who are less fit to train as much as fitter individuals. This not only indicates the feasibility of training together despite differences in physical skills but also suggests that online exercise can reduce the effect of skills on adherence in a social context. Longer term interventions with more participants are instead recommended to assess impacts on well- being and behavior change.

3 Introduction Background Extensive research has documented the association of regular physical activity with positive outcomes in health and wellbeing in later age [Thibaud et al., 2012; Stuart et al., 2008; Landi et al., 2010]. Engaging in physical activities reduces risk of falls [Thibaud et al., 2012], slows progression of degenerative diseases [Stuart et al. 2008], and improves cognitive performance and mood in older adults [Landi et al., 2010]. Conversely, sedentary behaviour is associated with mortality, risk of depression and adverse effects on health and well-being in older adults [Rezende et al., 2014; Teychenne et al., 2010].

Intervention programs to promote physical activity in older adults, either in group or individual (home) settings, have demonstrated the potential to improve health and functional performance [El-Khoury et al., 2013]. Both types of intervention have shown equivalent health outcomes [Freene, 2013] but with different results when considering adherence. Group-based interventions seem to achieve higher participation in the long-term [Van Der Bij & Wensing, 2002], while in the short-term the results are comparable or not conclusive [Van Der Bij & Wensing, 2002; Freene, 2013].

The existing evidence for a higher participation to group-based interventions can b

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