Insights on the effect and experience of a diet-tracking application for older adults in a diet trial

Abstract

With an ageing population, healthy ageing becomes more important. Healthy nutrition is part of this process and can be supported in many ways. The PROMISS trial studies the effect of increasing protein intake in older adults on their physical functioning. Within this trial, a sub-study was performed, researching the added effect of using a diet-tracking app enhanced with persuasive and (optional) gamification techniques. The goal was to see how older adult participants received such technology within their diet program. There were 48 participants included in this sub-study, of which 36 completed the study period of 6 months. Our results on adherence and user evaluation show that a dedicated app used within the PROMISS trial is a feasible way to engage older adults in diet tracking. On average, participants used the app 83% of the days, during a period of on average 133 days. User-friendliness was evaluated with an average score of 4.86 (out of 7), and experienced effectiveness was evaluated with an average score of 4.57 (out of 7). However, no effect of the technology on protein intake was found. The added gamification elements did not have a different effect compared with the version without those elements. However, some participants did like the added gamification elements, and it can thus be nice to add them as additional features for participants that like them. This article also studies whether personal characteristics correlate with any of the other results. Although some significant results were found, this does not give a clear view on which types of participants like or benefit from this technology.