An Evaluation of Vibrotactile Prompt, Social Praise, and Goal Setting on Reducing Sedentary Behaviour in Older Adults Living in Residential Care Settings

Abstract

Sedentary behaviour is a distinct and independent contributor to adverse health outcomes and mortality. The prevalence of sedentary behaviour is ever growing with older adult population engaging in highest level of sedentary behaviour out of all age groups. However, existing sedentary behaviour intervention studies have not yet investigated the effects of intervention on this most vulnerable population. The current study adds to the existing literature by investigating the feasibility of vibrotactile prompt, social praise, and goal setting interventions on reducing sedentary behaviour for four older adult participants in residential care setting. The interventions components were arranged in order of complexity and superimposed on one another in order to identify the simplest effective component. The results suggest that the interventions were not effective in reducing sedentary behaviour consistently across participants. The variables that may have led to inconclusive results are discussed for future research recommendations.