scholarly journals A Platform Based on Personalized Exergames and Natural User Interfaces to Promote Remote Physical Activity and Improve Healthy Aging in Elderly People

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7578
Author(s):  
Cristian Gómez-Portes ◽  
David Vallejo ◽  
Ana-Isabel Corregidor-Sánchez ◽  
Marta Rodríguez-Hernández ◽  
José L. Martín-Conty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Natural User Interfaces ◽  
Promotion Of Physical Activity ◽  
Empirical Experiment ◽  
At Home

In recent years, there has been a significant growth in the number of research works focused on improving the lifestyle and health of elderly people by means of technology. Telerehabilitation and the promotion of physical activity at home have been two of the fields that have attracted more attention, especially currently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, elderly people are sometimes reluctant to use technology at home, mainly due to fear of technology and lack of familiarity. In this context, this article presents a low-cost platform that relies on exergames and natural user interfaces to promote physical activity at home and improve the quality of life in elderly people. The underlying system is easy to use and accessible, offering a number of interaction mechanisms that guide users through the execution of routines and exercises. A relevant feature of the proposal is the ability to customize the exergames, making it possible for the therapist to adapt them according to the user’s needs. Motivation is also addressed within the developed platform to maintain the user’s engagement level as time passes by. An empirical experiment is conducted to measure the usability and motivational aspects of the proposal, which was evaluated by 17 users between 62 and 89 years of age. The obtained results showed that the proposal was well received, considering that most of the users were not experienced at all with exergame-based systems.

scholarly journals Acceptability, Feasibility and Preliminary Evaluation of a Novel, Personalised, Home-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Chronic Heart Failure (Active-at-Home-HF): a Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nduka C. Okwose ◽  
Leah Avery ◽  
Nicola O’Brien ◽  
Sophie Cassidy ◽  
Sarah J. Charman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Chronic Heart Failure ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Step Count ◽  
Home Based ◽  
At Home

Abstract Purpose Less than 10% of heart failure patients in the UK participate in cardiac rehabilitation programmes. The present pilot study evaluated feasibility, acceptability and physiological effects of a novel, personalised, home-based physical activity intervention in chronic heart failure. Methods Twenty patients (68 ± 7 years old, 20% females) with stable chronic heart failure due to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (31 ± 8 %) participated in a single-group, pilot study assessing the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week personalised home-based physical activity intervention aiming to increase daily number of steps by 2000 from baseline (Active-at-Home-HF). Patients completed cardiopulmonary exercise testing with non-invasive gas exchange and haemodynamic measurements and quality of life questionnaire pre- and post-intervention. Patients were supported weekly via telephone and average weekly step count data collected using pedometers. Results Forty-three patients were screened and 20 recruited into the study. Seventeen patients (85%) completed the intervention, and 15 (75%) achieved the target step count. Average step count per day increased significantly from baseline to 3 weeks by 2546 (5108 ± 3064 to 7654 ± 3849, P = 0.03, n = 17) and was maintained until week 12 (9022 ± 3942). Following completion of the intervention, no adverse events were recorded and quality of life improved by 4 points (26 ± 18 vs. 22 ± 19). Peak exercise stroke volume increased by 19% (127 ± 34 vs. 151 ± 34 m/beat, P = 0.05), while cardiac index increased by 12% (6.8 ± 1.5 vs. 7.6 ± 2.0 L/min/m2, P = 0.19). Workload and oxygen consumption at anaerobic threshold also increased by 16% (49 ± 16 vs. 59 ± 14 watts, P = 0.01) and 10% (11.5 ± 2.9 vs. 12.8 ± 2.2 ml/kg/min, P = 0.39). Conclusion The Active-at-Home-HF intervention is feasible, acceptable and effective for increasing physical activity in CHF. It may lead to improvements in quality of life, exercise tolerance and haemodynamic function. Trial Registration www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT0367727. Retrospectively registered on 17 September 2018.

Natural User Interfaces: A Physical Activity Trainer

2018 ◽  
pp. 122-131
Author(s):  
Nicolás Jofré ◽  
Graciela Rodríguez ◽  
Yoselie Alvarado ◽  
Jacqueline Fernández ◽  
Roberto Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Natural User Interfaces

Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Improve Quality ◽  
Reduce Risk

For more than half a century fellows of the National Academy of Kinesiology have enthusiastically advocated for the promotion and adoption of physically active lifestyles as an affordable and effective means to prevent chronic diseases and conditions, and enhance independence and high quality of life for older adults. It is possible to discern distinct evolutionary stages when examining scholarship related to the role of physical activity in the promotion of healthy aging. Research into physical activity and aging began with critical early studies that established the underlying scientific evidence for a relationship between physical activity and healthy aging. More recent work has addressed such topics as building consumer demand, developing policies and legislation to support active aging, and understanding the complex interrelationships between physical activity and other lifestyle factors in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and conditions. It is increasingly apparent that strategies to promote active and successful aging must be integrated into an effective public policy. Kinesiologists and other health professionals, working in collaboration with colleagues from other disciplines, can help to reduce risk factors for chronic disease and improve quality of life for older adults by building awareness of the importance of physical activity and by assisting with the development and implementation of appropriate and effective interventions that reduce risk factors and improve quality of life.

scholarly journals Grounded Theory for the Design of Mobile User Interfaces-Based on Space Retrieval Therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Kholoud Abdulrahman Aljedaani ◽  
Reem Abdulaziz Alnanih
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Design Method ◽  
User Model ◽  
User Centered Design ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Color Preferences

<span lang="EN-US">Technology plays a major role in our daily lives. In healthcare, technology assists in treating and detecting diseases and can improve patients’ quality of life. Alzheimer’s disease patients are generally elderly people who suffer from disabilities in vision, hearing, speech, and movement. The disease is one of the most common types of dementia. This paper proposes a design for a mobile application with an adaptive user interface for Alzheimer’s patients based on an elderly model developed using grounded theory. The application aims to improve the patients’ quality of life and allow them to remain engaged in society. The design of the application is based on spaced retrieval therapy (SRT), a method that helps Alzheimer’s patients to recall specific pieces of important information. User-centered design method was used to design and build this application. In the requirements phase, a user model for elderly people was elicited based on a classification developed through grounded theory. The prototype for the proposed model was designed and developed considering the default user interfaces and the adaptive user interfaces. A test was conducted with 15 elderly Arab users. The participants were 50–74 years old with varying levels of education and experience with technology. The authors proposed a user model for elderly people containing all the design implications in terms of physical and cognitive changes. The results of testing with elderly Arab users supported the proposed user model in terms of colors, fonts, pictures, and symbols. However, there were problems with the menu design and color preferences.</span>

scholarly journals Nutrition and Healthy Aging: Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Diseases

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4337
Author(s):  
Neri Maria Cristina ◽  
d’Alba Lucia
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Effective Prevention

Nutritional well-being is a fundamental aspect for the health, autonomy and, therefore, the quality of life of all people, but especially of the elderly. It is estimated that at least half of non-institutionalized elderly people need nutritional intervention to improve their health and that 85% have one or more chronic diseases that could improve with correct nutrition. Although prevalence estimates are highly variable, depending on the population considered and the tool used for its assessment, malnutrition in the elderly has been reported up to 50%. Older patients are particularly at risk of malnutrition, due to multiple etiopathogenetic factors which can lead to a reduction or utilization in the intake of nutrients, a progressive loss of functional autonomy with dependence on food, and psychological problems related to economic or social isolation, e.g., linked to poverty or loneliness. Changes in the aging gut involve the mechanical disintegration of food, gastrointestinal motor function, food transit, intestinal wall function, and chemical digestion of food. These alterations progressively lead to the reduced ability to supply the body with adequate levels of nutrients, with the consequent development of malnutrition. Furthermore, studies have shown that the quality of life is impaired both in gastrointestinal diseases, but especially in malnutrition. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of malnutrition in elderly people is necessary to promote the knowledge of age-related changes in appetite, food intake, homeostasis, and body composition in order to better develop effective prevention and intervention strategies to achieve healthy aging.

scholarly journals Multimodal Hand Gesture Classification for the Human–Car Interaction

Informatics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Andrea D’Eusanio ◽  
Alessandro Simoni ◽  
Stefano Pini ◽  
Guido Borghi ◽  
Roberto Vezzani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
User Interfaces ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Infrared Images ◽  
Infrared Sensors ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Natural User Interfaces ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Dynamic Gestures ◽  
Public Dataset

The recent spread of low-cost and high-quality RGB-D and infrared sensors has supported the development of Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) in which the interaction is carried without the use of physical devices such as keyboards and mouse. In this paper, we propose a NUI based on dynamic hand gestures, acquired with RGB, depth and infrared sensors. The system is developed for the challenging automotive context, aiming at reducing the driver’s distraction during the driving activity. Specifically, the proposed framework is based on a multimodal combination of Convolutional Neural Networks whose input is represented by depth and infrared images, achieving a good level of light invariance, a key element in vision-based in-car systems. We test our system on a recent multimodal dataset collected in a realistic automotive setting, placing the sensors in an innovative point of view, i.e., in the tunnel console looking upwards. The dataset consists of a great amount of labelled frames containing 12 dynamic gestures performed by multiple subjects, making it suitable for deep learning-based approaches. In addition, we test the system on a different well-known public dataset, created for the interaction between the driver and the car. Experimental results on both datasets reveal the efficacy and the real-time performance of the proposed method.

scholarly journals A Wearable Smart Device to Monitor Multiple Vital Parameters—VITAL ECG

Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Randazzo ◽  
Jacopo Ferretti ◽  
Eros Pasero
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Smart Device ◽  
Golden Standard ◽  
Comprehensive Comparison ◽  
Vital Parameters

Smart devices are more and more present in every aspect of everyday life. From smartphones, which are now like mini-computers, through systems for monitoring sleep or fatigue, to specific sensors for the recording of vital parameters. A particular class of the latter regards health monitoring. Indeed, through the use of such devices, several vital parameters can be acquired and automatically monitored, even remotely. This paper presents the second generation of VITAL-ECG, a smart device designed to monitor the most important vital parameters as a “one touch” device, anywhere, at low cost. It is a wearable device that coupled with a mobile app can track bio-parameters such as: electrocardiogram, SpO2, skin temperature, and physical activity of the patient. Even if it not yet a medical device, a comprehensive comparison with a golden standard electrocardiograph is presented to demonstrate the quality of the recorded signals and the validity of the proposed approach.

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