Title: A case study on the influence of fitness trackers on older adults' health and fitness activities

Authors: Pranathy Enamela; Gayle L. Prybutok; Jerry L. Dake; Victor R. Prybutok

Addresses: Department of Information Science, University of North Texas, 3940 N Elm St, Denton, TX 76207, USA ' Department of Health Services Administration, University of North Texas, 410 Avenue C, Suite 289, Denton, Texas 76201, USA ' Deceased; formerly of: University of North Texas, USA ' Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, 305459, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA

Abstract: This case study provides insight into older adults' motivation to improve their physical activity through the use of a fitness tracker. The study is qualitative and identified some of the obstacles related to adopting a healthy lifestyle including the need to modify dietary habits, expand knowledge of health-oriented decision making, and establishing exercise routines that are sustainable among older adults. The case study examined three professors over the age of 65. The participants had strong yet different perspectives towards personal health and fitness trackers. The key finding from this study is that wearables, especially fitness trackers, can significantly facilitate increased physical activity.

Keywords: exercise; fitness trackers; IoT; mobility; perceived health; physical fitness; technology adoption; wearables.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEH.2021.117828

International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 2021 Vol.11 No.4, pp.348 - 363

Received: 24 Jun 2020
Accepted: 25 Feb 2021
Published online: 27 Sep 2021 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article