Skip to main content
. 2022 Nov 29;19(23):15940. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315940
eHealth Platforms/Project Domain(s) of intervention of eHealth platforms
NESTORE [37] Physical, nutrition, cognition, and social:
  • -

    physical activity coaching is focused on four sub-parts: (1) aerobic training; (2) strength exercises; (3) flexibility training; and (4) balance exercises.

  • -

    nutrition coaching plans for the nutrition domain are structured as follows: (1) body weight management, focused to increase or decrease body weight, and consisting of tailored dietary activities, as well as energy balance monitoring; (2) body composition management, focused to increase muscle mass or decrease body fat, and consisting of tailored dietary activities and energy balance monitoring; and (3) healthy diet, focused to improve dietary habits by targeting macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients intake through both diet monitoring (based on automated food image recognition) and nutrition coaching.

  • -

    cognition coaching consists of three plans: (1) one focusing on memory (involving a structured traditional cognitive training task in the domain of working memory); (2) one focusing on broader thinking skills (involving a multi-domain serious game that involves simultaneous tasks in the areas of visuo-motor ability, spatial memory and inhibition), and (3) and one that targets everyday cognitive functioning (involving productive intellectual engagement in the form of unstructured leisure activities that require learning a novel and complex skill, such as digital photography, dancing, etc.).

Keep your brain fit [38] Lifestyle, memory, and effective work:
  • -

    lifestyle module, in which lifestyle factors that influence actual and late-life cognitive functioning are included. Only evidence-based factors that may affect cognitive ability are presented.

  • -

    memory module in which the cause of memory complaints, memory self-efficacy, and memory strategies are discussed.

  • -

    effective work module in which tips for improving attention and planning skills are presented to the participants.

Independent Walking for Brain Health [39] Cognitive and physical:
  • -

    mHealth device to help older adults independently achieve and maintain physical activity guidelines (≥150 min per week of moderate-intensity physical activity) in their free-living environments to improve brain health. The mHealth device is a heart rate tracker that could be programmed through its app to set custom heart rate target zones equivalent to moderate-physical activity intensity for each person. The device vibrates and flashes different colored lights (blue = below zone, green = in zone, red = zone above) when participants are deviating from their individually prescribed target heart rate zones.

CAPTAIN [40] Cognitive, physical, social, and nutritional:
The general idea of this virtual coaching system from the participant’s point of view (i.e., older adult) is to become a lifelong learning (i.e., coaching), motivational and supportive platform to promote healthy habits through individual behavior change.
Each SMART goal is composed of a weekly plan with coaching actions provided by digital intervention tools such as recommendation systems, quizzes, coaches, and games. All of them are focused on supporting the process of behavior change.
  • -

    Nutritional—coaching provides the participant with healthy recipe suggestions aligned with the nutritional SMART goal. Users can see the list of ingredients as well as a video, and if they do not like the suggestion, they can get additional recipe options.

  • -

    Social—Social contact coaching is used to deliver motivational messages that instruct participants to contact specific relatives and/or friends to encourage them to communicate with them and improve/maintain their social skills. Social event coaching aims to encourage participants to participate in events and activities that are being organized in their surroundings, thus promoting social interaction outside the home.

  • -

    Physical—coaching aims to promote an active lifestyle through motivational messages, encouraging participants to perform some exercises adapted to their profile.

  • -

    Cognitive—coaching is designed to deliver motivational messages and recommendations to promote participants’ emotional and mental well-being, thus preserving their mental capacity and quality of life.

SONOPA [41] Social:
  • -

    The social network to be developed is a platform where users (older people, caregivers, or family members) can communicate with other users through chats, video calls, or sending messages.

FitForAll (FFA) [42] Physical:
  • -

    The FFA platform consists of games specifically designed for seniors to exercise and maintain/advance healthy physical status and well-being. The FFA offers specific exercises for seniors within an engaging game environment to promote adherence to the physical exercise protocol.

Active After 55 [43] Physical:
  • -

    The Active After 55 is a multiple-visit Internet program to enhance functional ability, mobility, and physical activity of older adults. Using text and video messages integrated with interactive values clarification and goal-setting activities, it helped users develop a self-tailored exercise plan (e.g., by type, intensity, frequency, duration, and schedule) consisting of four activities: endurance, stretching, strengthening, and balance enhancement.

PROMOTE [44] Physical:
  • -

    Two web-based interventions that promote self-monitoring of physical activities. Both are based on the self-regulation theory and principles of behavior change (e.g., shaping knowledge, feedback and monitoring, goals and planning, social support, comparison of behavior, and rewards). Participants receive brochures with physical activity recommendations including exercises to improve balance, strength, and endurance. Depending on the physical activity-level assessed at baseline and gender, participants receive different brochures outlining exercises for different levels of difficulty displayed by male vs. female older adults modelling the exercises.

  • -

    Besides web-based interventions, participants are offered weekly group meetings (90 min) in their communities where they can resolve technical problems with the website, receive health education regarding healthy aging, and practice physical activity in groups.

AGNES [45] Social:
  • -

    Avoiding isolation by promoting connectivity and social inclusion—The AGNES home-based system was designed to provide users with different interaction possibilities with their social network. The older adult can share information with chosen family and friends via the online social network. The network can also get basic information on the well-being of the cared-for person even if that person is not actively using the ICT system, and convey that to nominated others such as carers, family members, or friends. Additionally, these others can share information with the older adult, including at times when physical visits are not possible.

Activator [46] Physical:
  • -

    The intervention consists of general information on sedentary behavior as well as visual and tactile feedback on sedentary behavior. The Activator is worn on the front of the thigh, either in a trouser pocket or attached with an elastic band to clothing that covers the upper thigh (e.g., pants, jeans, shorts, leggings, tights, or dresses), and provides visual and tactile feedback. Visual feedback is presented through a smartphone app via Bluetooth connection. Both real-time feedback and a 7-day historical overview are presented based on participants’ sedentary time, upright time, and number of steps. Visual feedback is constantly available and can be viewed whenever and as often as participants want. Tactile feedback is provided via a strong, but comfortable, vibration from the Activator device itself each time a participant is seated for 30 uninterrupted minutes. If a participant remains sedentary, the vibration repeats after another 30 min.

PERSSILAA [47] Nutritional, physical, cognitive, and social:
  • -

    Nutrition training module: The NUTRIAGEING website (http://nutriageing.fc.ul.pt/, accessed on 28 July 2022) is an easy-to-use, “app-like” interface designed to promote and translate scientific knowledge into usable person-centered nutritional advice for the general public. Its three areas are: (1) Healthy eating, (2) Recipes and videos, and (3) Vegetable gardens. The “Recipes and videos” subsection includes 15 videos of recipes developed by the Portuguese Chef Hélio Loureiro;

  • -

    Cognition training modules were completed over a period of 12 weeks, 3 times per week, with each session lasting for an hour. The cognitive training tasks were selected from the Guttmann NeuroPersonalTrainer® and incorporated into the platform in two blocks: the first group (Block 1) were assessment-oriented tasks and the second group (Block 2) training-oriented tasks;

  • -

    Physical training module—A technology-supported self-management, physical training module platform, based on the OEP (Otago Exercise Programme), was developed for use on the PERSSILAA platform that was structured around an existing system called the Condition Coach (CoCo).

  • -

    no information found on the social dimensions.

Miraculous Projet [48] Social and physical:
  • -

    Independent living in daily activities. These technologies can be used to support older people: (1) at work, by enabling them to stay active and productive for longer and experience better quality of work and work-life balance, (2) in the community, in overcoming isolation and loneliness, keeping up social networks, (3) accessing public and private services, and (4) at home, by increasing their QoL and promoting their independence, autonomy, and dignity.

eLiFE [49] Physical:
  • -

    The program consisted of strategies to (a) improve balance, (b) increase muscle strength, and (c) reduce sedentariness and increase physical activity. In addition, the program comprised a behavioral change framework, aiming to turn activity intentions into a habit by embedding activities into daily life.

Impronte Project [50] Physical and social:
  • -

    Physical—Combines the geocaching activity, accompanied by some gamification elements, with the use of fitness tracking technology in the form of a pedometer bracelet. Each participant had an activity goal of 10,000 steps per day, as advised by the World Health Organization.

  • -

    Social—Through geocaching, it also encourages physical exercise in groups, emphasizing the dimensions of social relationships and interactions. It can therefore become a means of communication with family and friends, thus reducing the effects of social isolation that are often involved in aging. Geocaching is particularly suited for promoting healthy lifestyles in older people, as it combines outdoor activity with new technologies.