Enhancing Physical Activity in Health-Impaired Individuals Through Telecoaching: A Systematic Review of Evidence and...

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Digital Health Interventions
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Promoting physical activity (PA) in individuals with disabilities necessitates accessible and innovative interventions.
• Telecoaching (TC) utilizes digital tools for remote delivery of training programs.
• Evaluating TC's safety, feasibility, and effectiveness is crucial for diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of telecoaching (TC) interventions.
• To provide insights into promoting physical activity across various functional limitations and health conditions.
• To synthesize evidence on TC's impact on individuals with disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.
• Literature search across Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases.
• Quality assessment using an adapted Downs and Black Checklist.

Main Results:

• 17 articles involving 1469 participants met inclusion criteria.
• TC interventions ranged from 8 to 36 weeks with fair to excellent study quality.
• TC was linked to enhanced quality of life, physical activity, fitness, and exercise tolerance.

Conclusions:

• Telecoaching (TC) is a safe, effective, and injury-free approach for secondary prevention.
• Further research is needed to optimize TC duration, frequency, and intensity.
• Expanding TC evaluation to a wider range of conditions and limitations is recommended.