Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 19, 2026
The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Social Support Patterns of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Within a Physical Activity App: Secondary Mixed Method
Zakkoyya H Lewis1, Maria C Swartz2, Eloisa Martinez3
1Kinesiology & Health Promotion Department, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, CA, United States.
Background:
Physical activity (PA) is critical for maintaining independence and delaying mobility disability in aging adults. However, 27 to 44% of older adults in the United States are meeting the recommended PA level. Activity trackers are proving to be a promising tool to promote PA adherence through activity tracking and enhanced social interaction features. Although social support has been known to be an influential behavior change technique to promote PA, how middle-aged and older adults use the social interaction feature of mobile apps to provide virtual support to promote PA engagement remains mostly underexplored.
Objective:
This study aimed to describe the social support patterns of middle-aged and older adults using a mobile app as part of a behavioral PA intervention.
Methods:
Data from 35 participants (mean age 61.66 [SD 6] years) in a 12-week, home-based activity intervention were used for this secondary mixed method analysis. Participants were provided with a Jawbone Up24 activity monitor and an Apple iPad Mini installed with the UP app to facilitate self-monitoring and social interaction. All participants were given an anonymous account and encouraged to interact with other participants using the app. Social support features included comments and likes. Thematic coding was used to identify the type of social support provided within the UP app and characterize the levels of engagement from users. Participants were categorized as superusers or contributors, and passive participants were categorized as lurkers based on the literature.
Results:
Over the 12-week intervention, participants provided a total of 3153 likes and 1759 comments. Most participants (n=25) were contributors, with 4 categorized as superusers and 6 categorized as lurkers. Comments were coded as emotional support, informational support, instrumental support, self-talk, and other, with emotional support being the most prevalent type.
Conclusions:
Our cohort of middle-aged and older adults was willing to use the social network feature in an activity app to communicate with anonymous peers. Most of our participants were contributors. In addition, the social support provided through the activity app followed social support constructs. In sum, PA apps are a promising tool for delivering virtual social support to enhance PA engagement and have the potential to make a widespread impact on PA promotion.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01869348; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01869348.
More Related Videos
05:26Enactive Phenomenological Approach to the Trier Social Stress Test: A Mixed Methods Point of View
Published on: January 7, 2019
10:28Kinematics and Ground Reaction Force Determination: A Demonstration Quantifying Locomotor Abilities of Young Adult, Middle-aged, and Geriatric Rats
Published on: February 22, 2011
Related Concept Videos
11:13The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
05:26Enactive Phenomenological Approach to the Trier Social Stress Test: A Mixed Methods Point of View
01:55Secondary Active Transport
14:18The 4 M’s Framework: Case History and Physical Examination of Older Adults
To meet the needs of older adults, all health professionals should be well acquainted with the history and physical examination considerations unique to this population. Physical examination plays an important role in the older patient to detect physiologic changes of aging, risk factors, and signs of pathology. While most of the general principles of the standard examination for adults apply to older patients,...
10:28Kinematics and Ground Reaction Force Determination: A Demonstration Quantifying Locomotor Abilities of Young Adult, Middle-aged, and Geriatric Rats
11:01Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats