SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2024
The effectiveness of digital physical activity interventions in older adults: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Digital Interventions Targeting Parents to Improve Early Childhood Movement, Nutrition, and Sleep Behaviors: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- The Associations Between Digital Exclusion and Physical or Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR aging · 2026Pooled it
- Factors Influencing the Uptake of Digital Health Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Among Healthcare Providers: A Systematic Review.Global heart · 2026Pooled it
- The mediating effect of resilience and self-efficacy between physical activity and wellbeing: a meta-analytic structural equation modeling.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Usage of the Tablet-Based "Keep On Keep Up" Digital Program and Resulting Changes in Physical Capacity and Real-World Walking in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Process Evaluation.JMIR formative research · 2026Trial
- Technology-based physical activities and adults' physical activity levels, mental health, life satisfaction, and happiness: a mixed methods study.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Game-Based Interventions for Health Promotion in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Protocols and ICF-Based Outcomes.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Sitting still while the world gets sicker: Rethinking physical inactivity as a public health emergency.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
- The relationship between occupational balance and physical activity level, physical fitness, and body composition in older adults.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Evidence Map of Cochrane Reviews on Nutrition and Physical Activity in Healthy and At-Risk Populations: A Scoping Review.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Review
- Co-designing a culturally appropriate mHealth physical activity intervention for midlife women experiencing menopause in Saudi Arabia: stakeholder recommendations.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Evidence-based interventions for promoting healthy aging: a scoping review.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2026Article
- Exergame enjoyment using various devices and awareness of their use for physical activity and health improvement among young adults.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Facilitators and barriers affecting healthy lifestyle behaviors among suburban Javanese women living in Indonesia: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Technology-Driven Group Exercise Program Implementation in an Underserved Community: Multimethod Retrospective Evaluation Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2026Article
- Effects of a Community-Based Multi-Component Intervention on Subjective Well-Being in Older Adults: The Chofu-Digital-Choju Project in Japan.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Companion Value Co-Creation and Well-Being in Older Adults with Chronic Illness: A Cross-Sectional Dyadic Study in Spain.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Digital health and consumer health informatics: past and future.Medical research archives · 2026Article
- The past, present and future use of technology-enabled physical activity interventions in clinical and non-clinical populations: a bibliometric trend analysis across four decades.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical activity is important for healthy ageing, however most older adults are inactive. Numerous reviews with a range of inclusion criteria have been conducted on digital interventions to promote physical activity in older adults, and a synthesis of these is needed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to conduct an umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis on the effectiveness of digital interventions to promote physical activity in older adults.
methodsNine databases were searched from January 2010 to December 2023. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of primary studies using digital physical activity interventions to target healthy older adults or clinical populations of older adults with a self-reported or device measured physical activity outcome were eligible for inclusion.
resultsIn total, 22 systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering 185 primary research papers were eligible for inclusion. The total number of participants across all primary studies was 28,198. Most (21, 95%) reviews and meta-analyses were rated as having a low or critically low AMSTAR-2 confidence rating. Of the 22 included systematic reviews, 13 (59%) conducted a meta-analysis and 10 (45%) conducted a narrative synthesis. Most systematic reviews with a narrative synthesis found strong evidence for a positive effect or moderate evidence for a positive effect for physical activity outcomes (7/9, 78%) and steps (3/3, 100%). The meta-meta-analysis of primary papers included in meta-analyses demonstrated a significant moderate effect for steps and a significant small effect for total PA and MVPA. The strength of effect did not vary by intervention components (activity tracker, app-based, SMS/phone, web-based, and face-to-face), population (primary or secondary prevention), control group (none, other digital intervention, or non-digital intervention), or outcome measurement (self-reported or device measured). Only 3 (14%) reviews included longer term follow up outcomes after the end of the intervention, with mixed results.
conclusionsEvidence from 22 reviews and meta-analyses suggests that digital physical activity interventions are effective at increasing physical activity in older adults. Further primary research is needed in adults 65 years and over exclusively, and with longer-term follow up of physical activity outcomes. Future reviews should include a published protocol and interpret results according to risk-of-bias.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.