Association between smartphone usage and physical activity level among older adults living in Japan

This study aims to clarify the relationship between smartphone usage and physical activity level among older adults in Japan.

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on older adults aged 65 or older living in Japan. Physical activity level was assessed using the IPAQ-SF. The questionnaire items included smartphone usage (years of use, types of applications used at least once a week, subjective sense of mastery, need for assistance), exercise habits (mode of transportation, sitting time), health-related QOL (subjective health status, happiness,  loneliness, social activities-related daily life satisfaction), and basic attributes (age, gender, marital status, family structure, educational background, region of residence, economic status, and medical history). Fisher’s exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to identify factors independently related to physical activity level. Significant variables were then analyzed using ordinal logistic regression, with adjustments made for multicollinearity. Statistical significance was set at a 5% threshold.

There were 1,196 respondents, of which 918 (459 women, average age of 73.0 ± 6.0 years) used smartphones. The average duration of smartphone use was 7.3 ± 5.0 years. Using smartphones for posting to social networking services (SNS) (OR=2.15, CI:1.18-3.94, p=0.013), healthcare-related applications (OR=1.74, CI:1.32-2.3, p0.001), and camera/video recording (OR=1.34, CI:1.01-1.78, p=0.041) were significantly associated with higher physical activity level. However, browsing SNS, playing games, and watching videos were not associated with physical activity. Other attributes that were associated with higher activity level included walking as a mode of transportation (OR=1.98, CI:1.41-2.79, p0.001) and higher economic status (OR=2.26, CI:1.21-4.26, p=0.001). In contrast, family-driven car as a mode of transportation was associated with lower activity level (OR=0.715, CI:0.518-0.985, p=0.04).

The use of smartphones as a tool for communication and self-management, such as posting to SNS and using health management applications, was strongly associated with higher physical activity among older adults in Japan, which was found to be as closely related to well-known factors that increase physical activity, i.e., walking habits, and financial status. On the contrary, use for entertainment pursuits such as watching videos and playing games was not associated with physical activity. 

This study suggests that promoting the appropriate use of smartphones could support health improvement initiatives for older adults in Japan. Further efforts should focus on developing applications and programs that encourage physical activity through effective Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interventions tailored to this demographic.