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Usability and feasibility of an online intervention for older adults to support changes to routines and the home ('Light, activity and sleep in my daily life')

Maini Gerhardsson, Kiran LU ; Hassan, Mariam LU orcid ; Tornberg, Åsa LU orcid and Schmidt, Steven LU orcid (2024) In BMC Public Health 24.
Abstract
Background
Indoor lighting, exposure to outdoor daylight, physical activity and sleep interact to influence functioning, mood and cicadian rhythm. Older adults (≥ 65 years), who often spend more time at home, are less physically active and experience more sleep problems, could benefit from strategies to support behavioural change and self-managed modifications in the home. The study’s primary objective was to assess the usability and feasibility of the ‘Light, activity and sleep in my daily life’ intervention, delivered as a web-based course.

Methods
This 9-week intervention was delivered in a municipality in Sweden (55.70° N). Participants were eight healthy women (age 71–84), community-living in one-person households. We... (More)
Background
Indoor lighting, exposure to outdoor daylight, physical activity and sleep interact to influence functioning, mood and cicadian rhythm. Older adults (≥ 65 years), who often spend more time at home, are less physically active and experience more sleep problems, could benefit from strategies to support behavioural change and self-managed modifications in the home. The study’s primary objective was to assess the usability and feasibility of the ‘Light, activity and sleep in my daily life’ intervention, delivered as a web-based course.

Methods
This 9-week intervention was delivered in a municipality in Sweden (55.70° N). Participants were eight healthy women (age 71–84), community-living in one-person households. We recruited through municipal staff and posters at senior citizen meeting points. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected before and after the intervention. The outcome measures were intervention usability (ease of use, usefulness) and study feasibility (e.g., recruitment procedure, online engagement). Measures also included changes to routines and self-managed home adjustments to determine whether the participants applied what they had learnt.

Results
All participants completed the intervention. Time logged in varied between 25 min and 3 h (M = 1 h 50 min) per week. Seven participants’ system usability scores were between 90 and 100 (‘Excellent’) out of 100. When interviewed, participants reported overall high satisfaction with what they had learnt. Six participants were particularly satisfied with the modules targeting light. Seven participants made changes to their lighting or darkness conditions, such as replaced bulbs with either 3-step dimming or higher colour temperature LEDs (samples were included in the intervention test kit). One suggestion to improve the online delivery was to enable participants to add text comments to the weekly evaluation form.

Conclusions
The web-based intervention was feasible to deliver but time for recruitment should be extended and advertisement in the local newspaper should be considered. Participants’ computer proficiency and access to the internet at home will be critical in a future study with a larger sample. Only minor changes to the online content of the intervention are needed based on participants’ feedback. The intervention will be possible to evaluate in a future pilot study. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Background: Indoor lighting, exposure to outdoor daylight, physical activity and sleep interact to influence functioning, mood and cicadian rhythm. Older adults (≥ 65 years), who often spend more time at home, are less physically active and experience more sleep problems, could benefit from strategies to support behavioural change and self-managed modifications in the home. The study’s primary objective was to assess the usability and feasibility of the ‘Light, activity and sleep in my daily life’ intervention, delivered as a web-based course.

Methods: This 9-week intervention was delivered in a municipality in Sweden (55.70° N). Participants were eight healthy women (age 71–84), community-living in one-person households. We... (More)
Background: Indoor lighting, exposure to outdoor daylight, physical activity and sleep interact to influence functioning, mood and cicadian rhythm. Older adults (≥ 65 years), who often spend more time at home, are less physically active and experience more sleep problems, could benefit from strategies to support behavioural change and self-managed modifications in the home. The study’s primary objective was to assess the usability and feasibility of the ‘Light, activity and sleep in my daily life’ intervention, delivered as a web-based course.

Methods: This 9-week intervention was delivered in a municipality in Sweden (55.70° N). Participants were eight healthy women (age 71–84), community-living in one-person households. We recruited through municipal staff and posters at senior citizen meeting points. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected before and after the intervention. The outcome measures were intervention usability (ease of use, usefulness) and study feasibility (e.g., recruitment procedure, online engagement). Measures also included changes to routines and self-managed home adjustments to determine whether the participants applied what they had learnt.

Results: All participants completed the intervention. Time logged in varied between 25 min and 3 h (M=1 h 50 min) per week. Seven participants’ system usability scores were between 90 and 100 (‘Excellent’) out of 100. When interviewed, participants reported overall high satisfaction with what they had learnt. Six participants were particularly satisfied with the modules targeting light. Seven participants made changes to their lighting or darkness conditions, such as replaced bulbs with either 3-step dimming or higher colour temperature LEDs (samples were included in the intervention test kit). One suggestion to improve the online delivery was to enable participants to add text comments to the weekly evaluation form.

Conclusions: The web-based intervention was feasible to deliver but time for recruitment should be extended and advertisement in the local newspaper should be considered. Participants’ computer proficiency and access to the internet at home will be critical in a future study with a larger sample. Only minor changes to the online content of the intervention are needed based on participants’ feedback. The intervention will be possible to evaluate in a future pilot study. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
complex intervention, behavioural change, environmental proactivity, wellbeing, older adults, usability, feasibility
in
BMC Public Health
volume
24
article number
2808
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • pmid:39402489
  • scopus:85206279113
ISSN
1471-2458
DOI
10.1186/s12889-024-20309-y
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
27454011-2c54-4c2c-8042-ea24c4f5b10d
date added to LUP
2024-10-15 11:34:48
date last changed
2024-11-14 04:01:01
@article{27454011-2c54-4c2c-8042-ea24c4f5b10d,
  abstract     = {{Background<br/>Indoor lighting, exposure to outdoor daylight, physical activity and sleep interact to influence functioning, mood and cicadian rhythm. Older adults (≥ 65 years), who often spend more time at home, are less physically active and experience more sleep problems, could benefit from strategies to support behavioural change and self-managed modifications in the home. The study’s primary objective was to assess the usability and feasibility of the ‘Light, activity and sleep in my daily life’ intervention, delivered as a web-based course.<br/><br/>Methods<br/>This 9-week intervention was delivered in a municipality in Sweden (55.70° N). Participants were eight healthy women (age 71–84), community-living in one-person households. We recruited through municipal staff and posters at senior citizen meeting points. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected before and after the intervention. The outcome measures were intervention usability (ease of use, usefulness) and study feasibility (e.g., recruitment procedure, online engagement). Measures also included changes to routines and self-managed home adjustments to determine whether the participants applied what they had learnt.<br/><br/>Results<br/>All participants completed the intervention. Time logged in varied between 25 min and 3 h (M = 1 h 50 min) per week. Seven participants’ system usability scores were between 90 and 100 (‘Excellent’) out of 100. When interviewed, participants reported overall high satisfaction with what they had learnt. Six participants were particularly satisfied with the modules targeting light. Seven participants made changes to their lighting or darkness conditions, such as replaced bulbs with either 3-step dimming or higher colour temperature LEDs (samples were included in the intervention test kit). One suggestion to improve the online delivery was to enable participants to add text comments to the weekly evaluation form.<br/><br/>Conclusions<br/>The web-based intervention was feasible to deliver but time for recruitment should be extended and advertisement in the local newspaper should be considered. Participants’ computer proficiency and access to the internet at home will be critical in a future study with a larger sample. Only minor changes to the online content of the intervention are needed based on participants’ feedback. The intervention will be possible to evaluate in a future pilot study.}},
  author       = {{Maini Gerhardsson, Kiran and Hassan, Mariam and Tornberg, Åsa and Schmidt, Steven}},
  issn         = {{1471-2458}},
  keywords     = {{complex intervention; behavioural change; environmental proactivity; wellbeing; older adults; usability; feasibility}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Public Health}},
  title        = {{Usability and feasibility of an online intervention for older adults to support changes to routines and the home ('Light, activity and sleep in my daily life')}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20309-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12889-024-20309-y}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}