Design and Development of a Mobile Health (mHealth) Platform for Dementia Prevention in the Prevention of Dementia by Mobile Phone Applications (PRODEMOS) Project

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) has the potential to bring preventive healthcare within reach of populations with limited access to preventive services, by delivering personalized support at low cost. Although numerous mHealth interventions are available, very few have been developed following an evidence-based rationale or have been tested for efficacy. This article describes the systematic development of a coach-supported mHealth application to improve healthy lifestyles for the prevention of dementia and cardiovascular disease in the United Kingdom (UK) and China.Methods: Development of the Prevention of Dementia by Mobile Phone applications (PRODEMOS) platform built upon the experiences with the Healthy Aging Through Internet Counseling in the Elderly (HATICE) eHealth platform. In the conceptualization phase, experiences from the HATICE trial and needs and wishes of the PRODEMOS target population were assessed through semi-structured interviews and focus group sessions. Initial technical development of the platform was based on these findings and took place in consecutive sprint sessions. Finally, during the evaluation and adaptation phase, functionality and usability of the platform were evaluated during pilot studies in UK and China.Results: The PRODEMOS mHealth platform facilitates self-management of a healthy lifestyle by goal setting, progress monitoring, and educational materials on healthy lifestyles. Participants receive remote coaching through a chat functionality. Based on lessons learned from the HATICE study and end-users, we made the intervention easy-to-use and included features to personalize the intervention. Following the pilot studies, in which in total 77 people used the mobile application for 6 weeks, the application was made more intuitive, and we improved its functionalities.Conclusion: Early involvement of end-users in the development process and during evaluation phases improved acceptability of the mHealth intervention. The actual use and usability of the PRODEMOS intervention will be assessed during the ongoing PRODEMOS randomized controlled trial, taking a dual focus on effectiveness and implementation outcomes.

INVESTIGATING STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES DURING ONLINE LEARNING: HOW THEY DEAL WITH SPEAKING ABILITY

The pandemic situation shifted the learning process from offline to online. It challenges the students in English learning, especially in learning their speaking ability. However, the students manipulated the strategies by utilizing online platforms or mobile phone applications accordingly to their learning experience. This study investigates students' language learning strategies and how the strategy is applied in learning speaking ability. The case study was carried out in a senior high school. The respondents are 64, who were chosen purposively to be involved in this study. The instruments of data collection were conducted by questionnaire and interview under Strategy Inventory for Language Learning. The results showed that 63 (95%) of students applied metacognitive strategies in the form of centering learning process, arranging, and planning learning strategies. Moreover, 61 or 91% of students used practicing, receiving, and sending messages of group cognitive strategies to motivate them to practice their speaking ability during online learning. Furthermore, less than 80% of social, memory, affective, and compensation. It recommended that the teacher be a facilitator by providing a good stimulus for the students to motivate themselves to be self-regulated

Strategies in Online Speaking Classroom in the Time of Covid-19: A Descriptive Study at Tertiary Level

Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed teaching and learning into a virtual model, which demands teachers to find their best strategy. This study aims to analyze the strategies applied by teachers at the tertiary level in the time of Covid-19. The researchers employed a descriptive research design conducted in one of the Islamic universities at Bengkulu. The subjects were two English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching staff who taught speaking skills at the beginner level. The data was obtained through a semi-structured interview. The observation was also done during one semester, where the researchers took part in the online classrooms. After the data was collected, the researchers analyzed the data by following some steps: (1) data reduction, (2) data display, and (2) conclusion drawing/verification. The findings revealed that the English teachers used several teaching-speaking skills integrated with social media and mobile phone applications to be accessed easily. The strategies are lecturing, role-play, online group discussion, simulation, and drilling. They are blended with WhatsApp Group, Google Classroom, Zoom, and Instagram. Even though the learning process can be managed in this pandemic, face-to-face learning is still favorable.

Exercise in Obesity—the Role of Technology in Health Services: Can This Approach Work?

Purpose of Review Physical activity (PA) is an important strategy to prevent and treat obesity. Electronic health (eHealth) interventions, such as wearable activity monitors and smartphone apps, may promote adherence to regular PA and successful weight loss. This review highlights the evidence for eHealth interventions in promoting PA and reducing weight. Recent Findings Wearables can increase PA and are associated with moderate weight loss in middle/older-aged individuals, with less convincing effects long-term (> 1 year) and in younger people. Data for interventions such as mobile phone applications, SMS, and exergaming are less robust. Investigations of all eHealth interventions are often limited by complex, multi-modality study designs, involving concomitant dietary modification, making the independent contribution of each eHealth intervention on body weight challenging to assess. Summary eHealth interventions may promote PA, thereby contributing to weight loss/weight maintenance; however, further evaluation is required for this approach to be adopted into routine clinical practice.

Design of a seniors and Alzheimer's disease caring service platform

Background To meet the needs of aging and dementia patients in Taiwan, this study designed a nursing system that includes communication, location tracking, and fall detection, and early warning services. The main purpose of this research is to provide timely services to the elderly and patients and hope to reduce the burden when the number of nursing staff decreases. This article is a remote disease care service platform with the Internet of Things (IoT) devices to monitor the location of the elderly and whether they have dropped warning alerts. Results The device is connected to the patient's waist and chest, monitors the patient's movement and behavior, and transmits messages to the back-end system, and informs caregivers through mobile phone applications when unexpected or shocking events occur. The system can identify whether the patient has fallen, accidentally, or long-term inactivity. The device is equipped with sensors that enable it to monitor the patient's location and behavior data through Bluetooth and GPS technology. Finally, we proposed a basic model and an integrated model that will industrialize the system and is expected to play a role in a larger patient population. Conclusions The system developed in this research has passed the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) test and verification, and is expected to provide appropriate safety care services for nursing homes and elderly residences.

Oral-based Bible translation: A contextualised model for the nomadic Himba people of southern Africa

Historically, the work of Bible translation has involved multiple disciplines in a commitment to translate Scripture with integrity and faithfulness to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. Translating Scripture for primary oral societies has added another dimension to the need for accuracy, beauty and clarity in Scripture translation. It has been widely accepted in Western literate society that the Bible is accessed in written print in the form of a book. For oral-preference societies, such as the nomadic Himba and San peoples of southern Africa, a printed Bible has presented a challenge. Few people read or wish to read as their primary means of communication. In the case of the San family of languages, complex phonemic systems of up to 85 contrastive clicks have presented a challenge in developing ‘readable’ orthographies. This article has highlighted the rationale for oral-based Bible translation. The research aimed to address the translation needs of oral societies – some of whom are nomadic or semi-nomadic people groups. The recent missiological positioning of certain Bible translation practitioners has led to an oral-based approach to Bible translation which validates the cultural identity of modern oral communicators. Orally crafted translations of Scripture passages have been recorded and made available to oral societies through a range of media, including MP3 players, SD cards and mobile phone applications. The effectiveness of oral-based Bible translation among the Himba people has been seen in their response. What began as a three-year pilot project to explore the potential impact of oral-based Scripture among oral societies has led to a unanimous demand for a second three-year phase, and an expressed desire for a full oral-based Bible in the Himba language. The oral-based approach as described is currently used in nearly 20 other oral Bible translation, which reflects a felt need for oral-based Scripture among oral societies in southern Africa.Contribution: Insights from the emerging practice of oral-based Bible translation in southern Africa provide valuable data for missiological approaches to communicating the gospel in the context of modern oral societies.