User requirements analysis of an Embodied Conversational Agent for coaching older adults to choose active and healthy ageing behaviors during the transition to retirement: a cross-national User Centered Design study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The ageing worldwide population involves an increase of multiple chronic diseases and the consequent demand for healthcare services by older people, thus challenging the healthcare systems’ sustainability and older people’s quality of life. In order to postpone older adults’ need for care, the promotion of healthy ageing is a key action that can be favored today by embodied conversational agents. Nevertheless, the role and benefit of this technology is still relatively ignored by the literature, especially when being applied to older workers and new retirees, and from a preventive perspective. OBJECTIVE This study wants to answer two research questions: 1) What are the user requirements of a virtual coaching based on an Embodied Conversational Agent for motivating older adults in transition to retirement to adopt a healthy lifestyle? 2) How could a virtual coaching system address the active and healthy ageing dimensions, especially during COVID-19 times? METHODS To answer the questions above, according to the User Centered Design approach, two-wave cross-national focus-groups with 60 end-users aged 55 and over and follow-up telephone interviews to 27 end-users were carried out in Austria, Italy and the Netherland between Spring 2019 and January 2021. Qualitative data were analysed through the Framework Analysis in order to highlight cross-country commonalities and national peculiarities. RESULTS End-users suggest the virtual coach motivates older workers and retirees to practice physical activity, maintain social contacts and provide them with practical activities to improve their mental and emotional well-being. It can be used every day based on users’ time, mood, family relationships and social condition. The embodied conversational agent should be reactive, customizable, expected to be expressive, sympathetic, not directive nor patronizing and its language should be appropriate, pleasant and motivating. The COVID-19 outbreak accelerated the acceptance of the system by increasing the users’ need for functions that boost community, physical and emotional well-being activities. CONCLUSIONS The study shows that the virtual coaching system can be one of the solutions that can best address the active and healthy ageing dimensions by suggesting activities that can improve individuals’ physical activity, mental well-being and socialisation. especially in the current worldwide epidemiological situation. Nevertheless, to be fully effective, it has to have a pleasant appearance and voice to motivate users without being patronising nor directive. Moreover, it should be customisable, yet non stigmatising, and should be able to adapt to the ageing process and to the evolution of the retirement transition.

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User Requirements Analysis of an Embodied Conversational Agent for Coaching Older Adults to Choose Active and Healthy Ageing Behaviors during the Transition to Retirement: A Cross-National User Centered Design Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189681 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9681

Author(s):

Sara Santini ◽

Vera Stara ◽

Flavia Galassi ◽

Alessandra Merizzi ◽

Cornelia Schneider ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

End Users ◽

Healthy Ageing ◽

User Requirements ◽

Conversational Agent ◽

Embodied Conversational Agent ◽

Active And Healthy Ageing ◽

Transition To Retirement

Background: Retirement is recognized as a factor influencing the ageing process. Today, virtual health coaching systems can play a pivotal role in supporting older adults’ active and healthy ageing. This study wants to answer two research questions: (1) What are the user requirements of a virtual coach (VC) based on an Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) for motivating older adults in transition to retirement to adopt a healthy lifestyle? (2) How could a VC address the active and healthy ageing dimensions, even during COVID-19 times? Methods: Two-wave focus-groups with 60 end-users aged 55 and over and 27 follow-up telephone interviews were carried out in Austria, Italy and the Netherlands in 2019–2020. Qualitative data were analysed by way of framework analysis. Results: End-users suggest the VC should motivate older workers and retirees to practice physical activity, maintain social contacts and emotional well-being. The ECA should be reactive, customizable, expressive, sympathetic, not directive nor patronizing, with a pleasant and motivating language. The COVID-19 outbreak increased the users’ need for functions boosting community relationships and promoting emotional well-being. Conclusions: the VC can address the active and healthy ageing paradigm by increasing the chances of doing low-cost healthy activities at any time and in any place.

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Digital Health Coaching Programs Among Older Employees in Transition to Retirement: Systematic Literature Review

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/17809 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. e17809 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vera Stara ◽

Sara Santini ◽

Johannes Kropf ◽

Barbara D'Amen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Literature Review ◽

Older Workers ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Digital Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Coaching ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Older Employees ◽

User Centered

Background The rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults’ working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers’ health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose. Objective This systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community. Methods The search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria. Results To our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees’ well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers’ health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design. Conclusions Further digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users’ health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology.

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Digital Health Coaching Programs Among Older Employees in Transition to Retirement: Systematic Literature Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17809 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Vera Stara ◽

Sara Santini ◽

Johannes Kropf ◽

Barbara D'Amen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Literature Review ◽

Older Workers ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Digital Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Coaching ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Older Employees ◽

User Centered

BACKGROUND The rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults’ working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers’ health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose. OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community. METHODS The search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria. RESULTS To our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees’ well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers’ health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design. CONCLUSIONS Further digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users’ health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology.

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Correction: Digital Health Coaching Programs Among Older Employees in Transition to Retirement: Systematic Literature Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.25065 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Vera Stara ◽

Sara Santini ◽

Johannes Kropf ◽

Barbara D'Amen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Literature Review ◽

Older Workers ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Digital Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Coaching ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Older Employees ◽

User Centered

UNSTRUCTURED The rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults’ working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers’ health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose. This systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community. The search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria. To our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees’ well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers’ health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design. Further digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users’ health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology. J Med Internet Res 2020;22(9):e17809

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Perceptions and experiences of frailty interventions: quantitative and qualitative results from a survey of partners within the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA)

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x17000265 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (9) ◽

pp. 1843-1867 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

HOLLY GWYTHER ◽

RICHARD COOKE ◽

RACHEL SHAW ◽

MAURA MARCUCCI ◽

ANTONIO CANO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthy Ageing ◽

Social Aspect ◽

Free Text ◽

Active And Healthy Ageing ◽

Perceived Benefit ◽

Inductive Thematic Analysis ◽

Method Approach

ABSTRACTThe European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA) was launched by the European Commission in 2011 to promote innovation in ageing research. This paper explores the experiences of partners delivering frailty interventions within Europe, registering their programmes with the EIP-AHA. Data were collected using an online survey from 21 partners in seven countries. A mixed-method approach was used with inductive thematic analysis of free-text responses to improve data richness. Responses indicated that there was a lack of consistency between EIP-AHA partners in methods of defining, screening and measuring for frailty and pre-frailty. Open responses to survey questions about intervention facilitators, moderators and barriers were coded into two themes: working with stakeholders and project management. We concluded that EIP-AHA partners are providing interventions addressing physical, cognitive and wellbeing elements of frailty. However, there needs to be an increase in the proportion of interventions that consistently apply valid methods of screening and/or measuring frailty and pre-frailty. Most, but not all projects are targeting pre-frail older adults, suggesting an appropriate balance of prevention in a useful ‘intervention window’ but also a growing understanding that frailty at later stages is amenable to intervention. Findings suggest design manipulations to improve outcomes and adherence to interventions, specifically inclusion of a perceived benefit/reward for older adults, e.g. a social aspect or health-care promotion.

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The Role of Gender in Supporting Active and Healthy Ageing by ICT Solutions: Learning from Latvian, Polish and Swedish Older Adults

Information Systems - Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-44322-1_26 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 344-357

Author(s):

Ewa Soja ◽

Piotr Soja ◽

Ella Kolkowska ◽

Marite Kirikova

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Ageing ◽

Active And Healthy Ageing

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A multidimensional model of healthy ageing: proposal and evaluation of determinants based on a population survey in Ecuador

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02548-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

María Fernanda Rivadeneira ◽

María José Mendieta ◽

Jessica Villavicencio ◽

José Caicedo-Gallardo ◽

Patricio Buendía

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Gender Equity ◽

Well Being ◽

Healthy Ageing ◽

World Health ◽

Multidimensional Model ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Intrinsic Capacity ◽

And Gender ◽

The Individual

Abstract Background Healthy ageing is a complex construct which involves multiple dimensions. Previous studies of healthy ageing have focused only on measuring the intrinsic capacity of the older person. The objectives of this study were to design a multidimensional model of healthy ageing and to identify its determinants from national data in Ecuador. Methods A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out from the National Survey of Health and Well-being of the Older Adult, 2010. Sample was 1797 adults aged 65 years or more. A multidimensional model was designed based on the World Health Organization’s concept of healthy ageing. For the analysis, two groups were created: a healthy ageing and a less healthy ageing group. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to analyze the probability of belonging to the healthy group according to sex, age, area of residence, level of education, perceived health status, perceived life satisfaction, and poverty by income level. Results The 53.15% of the sample was classified in the healthy ageing group. Women and the poorest older adults were less likely to be in the healthy ageing group (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.464–0.737; OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.343–0.564). Older adults with secondary education or higher, who considered their health as excellent and who were satisfied with their life, had a greater probability of being in healthy ageing group (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.586–4.309; OR 28.49; 95% CI 3.623–224.02; OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.165–0.341). Conclusions This study contributes with a multidimensional approach to healthy ageing. It proposes to evaluate the intrinsic capacity of the individual, the social and political environment and the interaction with it, through indicators that discriminate who are ageing in a healthy way and who are not. By using this model, it was identified that gender and economic situation seem to play an important role on heathy ageing of the Ecuadorian population. Public policies are necessary to promote healthy ageing, especially focused on improving socioeconomic conditions and gender equity.

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