Sarah Morton , Sarah.morton@ed.ac.uk
Thanasis Tsanas, atsanas@ed.ac.uk
Project Description
Undertaking muscle strength and balance activity is beneficial to promote healthy ageing and maintain functional fitness and independent living. The World Health Organization recommends that older adults undertake strength and balance training 3 days a week. However, a recent UK Health Survey showed only 6% of men and 10% of women over 75 meet these recommendations. Whereas WHO guidance to undertake regular aerobic activity was better adhered to in the same study. Strength and resistance exercise are key to continuing independent living and preventing falls in this age group. There is an unmet need to develop digital health solutions to address this disparity, and encourage uptake of muscle strengthening activity, and assess effectiveness of interventions among older adults.
This multidisciplinary project will explore the development of a digital health mechanism for wearable devices to record and feedback strength and balance activity that can be used as part of programmes to support healthy ageing. It will also contribute to longer-term multidisciplinary research in this important emerging research field. This research project will aim to encourage and support an increased number of older adults to undertake and sustain engagement with strength and balance activity.
