Activity trackers may increase older adults' daily steps briefly
A review found uncertain short-term gains from trackers and smartphone apps, with sparse evidence suggesting benefits were not sustained.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Trackers and smartphone apps may help older adults take more daily steps near the end of an intervention. Evidence was less certain when they were compared with other active programs. The few trials with later assessments suggested that gains did not persist, so this review does not establish a lasting increase in physical activity.
The short-term evidence was rated low or very low certainty, depending on the comparator. Later results came from single trials, leaving limited support for firm conclusions about how well these interventions work over time.
What researchers found
Difference in daily steps
Trackers or smartphone apps versus minimal intervention, assessed closest to intervention completion; low-certainty pooled evidence.
What the gain measures
The clearest pooled comparison was against minimal intervention. This result measures extra daily steps near the end of a program; it does not directly establish improvements in health, mobility or independence.
Limited later evidence
Follow-up evidence was much thinner than evidence collected near intervention completion. A lack of sustained benefit in those individual trials should temper expectations, while leaving uncertainty about longer-term effects.
The original publication
Are You Counting? Effectiveness of Interventions Using Activity Trackers and Smartphone Applications for Increasing Physical Activity in Older People Living in the Community: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.
Hamdani N, Oliveira J, Santana P et al.
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41919924
- Record checked
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