When hospitalised for a period, older adults tend to spend most of the day sitting or lying and mobilise very little. These low levels of physical activity can contribute to a decline in physical function, an increased in the length of the hospital stay and higher risk of beginning readmitted. Identifying ways to prevent this is particularly important as patients over the age of 65 years occupy the most acute hospital beds and account for the longest length of stay.
Research has shown that providing older adults with an activity tracker can increase their motivation to be more active. However, no such research has been undertaken in older hospitalised patients. This project aims to evaluate the use of accelerometers to increase motivation to be physical active and reduce sitting/lying time in older hospitalised patients.
Participants ≥70 years of age will be recruited from two medical wards in University Hospital Waterford. Participants will be randomly assigned to an ‘accelerometer + feedback’ or ‘accelerometer only’ group. Both groups will wear an accelerometer for 5 days or the duration of their hospital stay. The ‘accelerometer + feedback’ group will receive daily verbal and visual feedback on their physical activity and sitting/lying time.
Participants will complete questionnaires before and after the 5 days to determine any changes in their motivation, self-confidence or expectations of exercise. Their sitting/lying time will be compared across the 5 days. Results of this study will contribute towards informing patient care and future research.
