Digital Multidomain Lifestyle Intervention for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Evaluation

As life expectancy rises at a faster rate than healthy life expectancy, there is a global need for scalable and cost-effective interventions that enhance the health-related quality of life of older adults. This study aimed to examine the user experience and usability of a 12-week digital multidomain lifestyle intervention in community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and above.

The intervention was developed involving older adults and delivered through a mobile application (app) focusing on physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindfulness/relaxation. We used a mixed methods sequential explanatory approach to evaluate the user experience and usability of the intervention. We delivered online questionnaires before and after the intervention, collected app usage data and conducted semi-structured interviews.

One hundred eight older adults participated in the study. Fifty-six percent of participants completed the 12-week intervention. Users who completed the intervention experienced it as highly satisfactory and rated the usability as high. User engagement was particularly high for the physical activity content.

Although participant retention can be a challenge, a digital multidomain lifestyle intervention developed involving community-dwelling older adults can lead to positive user experience and high usability.