Gerontechnology

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions hold the promise of augmenting existing health promotion interventions. Older adults present unique challenges in advancing new models of health promotion using technology including sensory limitations and less experience with mHealth, underscoring the need for specialized usability testing. We use an open-source mHealth device as a case example for its integration in a newly designed health services intervention. We performed a convergent, parallel mixed-methods study including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires, using purposive sampling of 29 older adults, 4 community leaders and 7 clinicians in a rural setting We transcribed the data, developed codes informed by thematic analysis using inductive and deductive methods, and assessed the quantitative data using descriptive statistics. Our results suggest the importance of end-users in user-centered design of mHealth devices and that aesthetics are critically important. The prototype could potentially be feasibly integrated within health behavior interventions. Centralized dashboards were desired by all participants and ecological momentary assessment could be an important part of monitoring. Concerns of mHealth, including the prototype device, include the device's accuracy, its intrusiveness in daily life and privacy. Formative evaluations are critically important prior to deploying large-scale interventions.R01 MH078052/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United StatesT32 MH073553/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United StatesR01 MH089811/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United StatesUL1 TR001086/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United StatesP30 DA029926/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United StatesU48 DP005018/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United StatesU48DP005018/ACL HHS/United StatesK23 AG051681/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States2019-09-01T00:00:00Z30631251PMC6322690661