A Review of Activity Trackers for Senior Citizens: Research Perspectives, Commercial Landscape and the Role of the Insurance Industry

Overview

Journal Sensors (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Biotechnology

Date 2017 Jun 8

PMID 28587188

Citations 39

Authors

Salvatore Tedesco

John Barton

Brendan OFlynn

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The objective assessment of physical activity levels through wearable inertial-based motion detectors for the automatic, continuous and long-term monitoring of people in free-living environments is a well-known research area in the literature. However, their application to older adults can present particular constraints. This paper reviews the adoption of wearable devices in senior citizens by describing various researches for monitoring physical activity indicators, such as energy expenditure, posture transitions, activity classification, fall detection and prediction, gait and balance analysis, also by adopting consumer-grade fitness trackers with the associated limitations regarding acceptability. This review also describes and compares existing commercial products encompassing activity trackers tailored for older adults, thus providing a comprehensive outlook of the status of commercially available motion tracking systems. Finally, the impact of wearable devices on life and health insurance companies, with a description of the potential benefits for the industry and the wearables market, was analyzed as an example of the potential emerging market drivers for such technology in the future.

Citing Articles

Digital Health Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Semiquantitative Analysis.

Di Pumpo M, Miatton A, Riccardi M, Graps E, Baldo V, Buja A Int J Public Health. 2025; 69():1607720.

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Navigating Through Innovation in Elderly's Health: A Scoping Review of Digital Health Interventions.

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Association between wrist-worn free-living accelerometry and hand grip strength in middle-aged and older adults.

Crowe C, Barton J, OFlynn B, Tedesco S Aging Clin Exp Res. 2024; 36(1):108.

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Electronic Wearable Device Use for Physical Activity in Older Adults: A Qualitative Study.

Li M, McPhillips M, Szanton S, Wenzel J, Li J Work Aging Retire. 2024; 10(1):25-37.

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Waist-What? Can a single sensor positioned at the waist detect parameters of gait at a speed and distance reflective of older adults' activity?.

Vavasour G, Giggins O, Flood M, Doyle J, Doheny E, Kelly D PLoS One. 2023; 18(6):e0286707.

PMID: 37289776 PMC: 10249831. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286707.

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