JMIR Aging

Older adults are the least active in our society and may face additional barriers to taking part in physical activity to those experienced by younger people because of factors such as lower digital literacy and negative stereotypes of ageing.

The rising prevalence of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety among the ageing population underscores the need for accessible and effective psychosocial support, particularly for community-dwelling older adults who face barriers like social stigma and limited mental health literacy. Peer volunteers have emerged as a promising resource to support these individuals, yet often lack the requisite training for effective intervention.

Sedentary behavior is highly prevalent among older adults, with adherence to exercise being a major challenge. Exercise offers significant physical, psychological, and social benefits, but enjoyment is a key factor influencing adherence. Technology-based interventions, have shown promise in enhancing motivation and participation, demonstrating higher adherence rates compared to conventional treatments, though challenges like motivation loss and technological barriers persist. This review evaluates active videogames interventions' effectiveness in enjoyment and satisfaction.

Over half of people over 60 experience cognitive impairment, with limited treatment options, making it crucial to identify risk factors. Studies have examined the association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment; however, the evidence is inconclusive and cannot be used to make causal inferences.

Walking is frequently recommended as a beneficial physical activity for older adults, as it can enhance both their physical and mental well-being and help prevent cognitive decline and dementia. While it is known that mobile health technology can help improve physical activity among older adults, there is limited research on its effectiveness for older individuals with cognitive impairment.

Game-based cognitive assessments (GBCAs) have the potential to transform the field of cognitive testing by enabling more effective screening of age-related cognitive decline. However, we lack a strong understanding of the usability and overall user experience of these games. This is a risk because the primary target users for GBCAs, older people, are seldom involved in game design research and development.

Latino caregivers are at an increased risk of negative health outcomes due to the responsibilities of caring for someone with dementia. Although interventions exist to address caregiver burden, they often do not meet the cultural needs of Latino caregivers.

With an aging population driven by advances in medical technology, digital literacy has become essential for improving the quality of life of older adults, enhancing access to health information, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the subjective health perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of older adults. However, there is limited research exploring the relationship between digital literacy, subjective health perceptions, and healthy lifestyle behaviors in Korea.

With changes in lifestyle, the problem of sleep disorders is becoming more and more common. Diabetes and sarcopenia have been found to be associated with sleep disorders respectively. However, less studies on the interaction between combination of diabetes and sarcopenia at different status and sleep disorders.

Mobile applications (apps) and peer support are known to effectively promote physical activity in older adults, which, in turn, improves physical function. Previously, we investigated the feasibility and impact of using digital peer-supported apps (DPSAs) to increase physical activity among older adults over a 3-month period. However, the long-term feasibility and impact on sustainable behavior change remain unknown.

Sleep holds promise as a modifiable risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. Clinical trials to modify sleep in people at risk of or in the early stages of dementia are needed. Monitoring natural sleep from home could support pragmatic and decentralized large-scale clinical trials. However, whether longitudinal sleep research can be successfully delivered remotely in this population has not been established yet.

Physical inactivity, which increases the risk of chronic diseases in older adults, is prevalent among older adults in Hong Kong (HK).