Residential MapTrek- Increasing Physical Activity Among Older Adults in a Residential-Living

Residential MapTrek- Increasing Physical Activity Among Older Adults in a Residential-Living

Older adults are a growing population, with projections to reach 83.7 million by 2050. Furthermore, older adults are the most sedentary and least physically active adult population. It is estimated that nearly 90% of older adults 65 years of age or older do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. Evidence suggests great health benefits can be achieved for older adults who are the most sedentary, and that replacing sitting with even light intensity walking can be beneficial.

The overarching goal of the project is to develop an inexpensive and scalable tool to increase volume of physical activity in our target population, older adults living in a residential facility. MapTrek is a web-based application that allows participants to take a virtual walk in interesting locations around the world while tracking their progress against the progress of other older adults living in a retirement community. Steps are counted using a commercially available accelerometer (e.g., Fitbit), and participants see their progress overlaid on Google Maps.

All participants will be provided with a Fitbit activity monitor and instructed to wear it 24 hours/day (except for bathing/swimming time) on their wrist for 12 weeks. Participants will participate in four team-based walking races, each two weeks long. Participants will view their team progress on TV monitors placed in various locations at the Oaknoll facility. The Oaknoll leadership has given the research team approval to do this at their facility. The monitors will present aggregated team data and will not report any individual data that could link back to the individual participant.

At the end of the 8 week active intervention, research team members will meet with participants at Oaknoll to administer an exit/process evaluation survey. The exit survey will ask about psychosocial predictors of physical activity as well as participants thoughts and opinions of the MapTrek game. This survey should take approximate 10-15 minutes to complete. The participants will then be asked to wear the Fitbit for four more weeks without playing MapTrek, which will act as a control condition since this is a single-arm study.

The specific aims of the study are:

1. To determine the efficacy of MapTrek for improving physical activity levels of older adults living in a residential facility from baseline to 8 weeks.
2. To determine the efficacy of MapTrek for improving psychosocial outcomes(e.g., self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, social isolation) among older adults living in a residential facility from baseline to 8 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• To be eligible, participants much be between 25 and 100 years of age, physically able to walk without limitations

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with cognitive or physical limitations that prohibit walking and visual or cognitive impairments causing inability to read.