Prescribing Physical Activity for Healthy Aging: Longitudinal Follow-Up and Mixed Method Analysis of a Primary Care Intervention

Background: There is a shortage of literature describing the experience of individuals who have participated in a physical activity and mobile health (mHealth) intervention. Many physical activity interventions are of short duration and do not report long-term changes in clinical measures or adoption of prescribed health behaviors. Previously, we have reported the clinical and behavioral outcomes from the first phase of a physical activity prescription and mHealth intervention delivered through the primary care setting. The purpose of this next phase is to perform a longitudinal follow-up 6-months postintervention. Methods: Mixed methods analysis including repeated measures ANOVA of functional aerobic capacity (VO2 max) at preintervention, postintervention, and follow-up clinic visits, and whole text analysis of semistructured interviews discussing the participant experience in a health behavior intervention. Results: Twenty participants, mean age 63 +/- 5 years, participated. Gains made in VO2 max were maintained at 6 months (P, 0.05). Participants reported engaging in sustained and routine physical activity, yet some identified a need for additional support to adopt the prescribed health behaviors. Emergent themes included the desire for short-term mHealth intervention to educate individuals about prescribed health behaviors without need for ongoing management by clinicians, leveraging mHealth to build social networks around prescribed health behaviors and to connect individuals to build a sense of community, and participant views of physical activity as medicine. Conclusions: The present study investigated both the long-term adoption of physical activity behaviors as well as the participant experience in a physical activity and mHealth intervention. Findings from the current study may be used to inform the development of user-centered lifestyle interventions.