USABILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A DIGITAL HEALTH ACTIVITY PROGRAM AMONG OLDER HEART FAILURE FAMILY CARE PARTNERS - Abstract

Sep 29, 2026

Family care partners of people with heart failure face sustained stress and exhaustion that harms their own health as well as the care recipients. To support older heart failure family care partners, a tailored digital physical activity program (TPA4You) was developed, combining videoconferencing with a health coach, wearable sensors, and motivational messaging. A 1-week, two-phase iterative field test with 11 participants evaluated usability and acceptability, with revisions after Phase 1 feedback (e.g., fewer sessions, manual messaging). Participants attended all Zoom sessions and reported the tool increased confidence, awareness, motivation, reduced caregiver stress, and provided emotional and psychosocial support. Phase 2 manual messages increased satisfaction, reduced confusion, and improved engagement versus automated messaging, guiding further revisions and a pilot RCT.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Usability and Acceptability Study of TPA4You

Program Design for Older Heart Failure Family Care Partners

Two-Phase Iterative Field Test Method

Participant Findings and Key Themes

Phase 2 Messaging Change and Outcomes

Next Steps: Revisions and Pilot RCT

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 1029 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.3469 USABILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A DIGITAL HEALTH ACTIVITY PROGRAM AMONG OLDER HEART FAILURE FAMILY CARE PARTNERS Dawon Baik1, Catherine Jankowski1, Larry Allen1, Colleen McIlvennan1, Heather Coats1, and Blaine Reeder2, 1. University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, United States, 2. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States Family care partners of persons with heart failure (HF-FCPs) face significant stress and exhaustion from prolonged caregiving, impacting their health. As they age, their increased burden and limited support raise the risk of poor health outcomes for both themselves and the care recipients. To support older HF-FCPs’health management, we developed a tailored digital health physical activity (PA) program, called TPA4You, that includes videoconferencing with a health coach, wearable sensors, and motivational messaging. We conducted a 1-week, two-phase, iterative field test with 11 participants to evaluate the usability and acceptability of TPA4You. Modifications were made based on Phase 1 participants’ feedback (i.e., reducing weekly PA sessions from three to two, replacing the automated messaging system with manually sent motivational messages) . All participants in both phases (mean age 68.2±7.1 years, 91% female, 82% spouses) attended 100% of Zoom PA sessions. Key themes from Phases 1 and 2 were similar. Overall, participants found TPA4You acceptable and useful. One key theme was TP4AYou is a digital tool that builds confidence in PA capabilities by increasing awareness and motivation. Another key theme was TPA4You’s ability to provide emotional and psychosocial benefits by reducing caregiver stress and facilitating human contact with a health coach. A third theme was TPA4You served as a valuable reminder to take care of themselves. In Phase 2, manual motivational messages led to higher satisfaction, less confusion, and greater PA engagement as compared to Phase 1 automated messaging. These findings will inform further revisions and a pilot RCT ofTPA4You.

FAQs

What problem does the TPA4You program target for older heart failure family care partners?

It targets stress and exhaustion from prolonged caregiving that can worsen the care partners’ health as they age, while also affecting the people they care for.

What components are included in the digital health physical activity program TPA4You?

TPA4You includes videoconferencing with a health coach, wearable sensors, and motivational messaging.

How did Phase 2 modifications influence satisfaction and engagement compared with Phase 1?

Replacing automated messaging with manually sent motivational messages in Phase 2 led to higher satisfaction, less confusion, and greater physical activity engagement.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by pixelkiddo