Experiences with using persuasive technology in a diet trial for older adults
Laura van van der Lubbe, Michel Klein, Marjolein Visser, Hanneke Wijnhoven, Ilse Reinders
PETRA 2021: The 14th PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments Conference
Part of the PROMISS diet trial was the persuasive technology sub study. For this sub study we designed a tablet application and foodbox that 48 participants could using during their diet trial for diet tracking. We studied the adherence (commitment to using the technology), protein intake, experience of dietary advice and technology, and the effect of gamification in our app on the protein knowledge of users. This paper presents the most important results.
Participants are positive about the tablet application, but negative about the foodbox. On average, participants used the tablet actively for 133 days. Participants stay committed during their use, 83% of the days that they used the tablet for were active days. We did not find a significant change in the protein intake of our participants, compared to participants without a tablet.
Based on these results we conclude that a diet tracking application designed for older adults is a feasible and appreciated tool to use within a dietary intervention study in older persons.