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Supporting Physical Activity for Informal Caregivers during and beyond COVID-19: Exploring the Feasibility, Usability and Acceptability of a Digital Health Smartphone Application, ‘CareFit’

Author

Listed:
  • Kieren J. Egan

    (Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK)

  • William Hodgson

    (Physical Activity for Health Group, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK)

  • Gennaro Imperatore

    (Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK)

  • Mark D. Dunlop

    (Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK)

  • Roma Maguire

    (Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK)

  • Alison Kirk

    (Physical Activity for Health Group, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how our global societies rely upon the care and support of informal (unpaid) caregivers: in the UK alone, there are an estimated 6.5 million informal carers. The caring role is not just precarious, it is often associated with high levels of stress, poor/deteriorating health and crisis points (hospitalisations, worsening of health). Fittingly, there has been much research in recent years focusing on mental health supports. A lesser explored area is physical health and physical activity. To address this, we conducted a real-world feasibility, usability and acceptability study of a novel codesigned digital health app for caregivers to improve levels of physical activity. Our study was designed to test the prototype app use for three weeks, following participants across questionnaires/in app data/qualitative data. Our findings (from 27 caregivers) highlights key knowledge gaps around physical activity—national guidelines were not reaching populations studies and behavioural change techniques hold promise to help support caregivers in the longer term. Our collective results support the acceptability, usability and feasibility of the Carefit app and warrant further investigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Kieren J. Egan & William Hodgson & Gennaro Imperatore & Mark D. Dunlop & Roma Maguire & Alison Kirk, 2022. "Supporting Physical Activity for Informal Caregivers during and beyond COVID-19: Exploring the Feasibility, Usability and Acceptability of a Digital Health Smartphone Application, ‘CareFit’," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-18, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12506-:d:930560
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sara Santini & Marco Socci & Paolo Fabbietti & Giovanni Lamura & Andrea Teti, 2022. "Factors Worsening and Mitigating the Consequences of the COVID-19 Outbreak on the Overall Health of Informal Caregivers of Older People with Long-Term Care Needs Living in Germany and in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-21, February.
    2. Aviad Tur-Sinai & Andrea Teti & Alexander Rommel & Valentina Hlebec & Giovanni Lamura, 2020. "How Many Older Informal Caregivers Are There in Europe? Comparison of Estimates of Their Prevalence from Three European Surveys," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Ricardo Rodrigues & Cassandra Simmons & Andrea E. Schmidt & Nadia Steiber, 2021. "Care in times of COVID-19: the impact of the pandemic on informal caregiving in Austria," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 195-205, June.
    4. Letícia Gonçalves & Mikael Seabra Moraes & Diego Augusto Santos Silva, 2022. "Counseling for Physical Activity in Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scope Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-18, July.
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