The effects of technology-utilising rehabilitation on rehabilitees' physical activity: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of technology-utilising rehabilitation on different intensities of physical activity (PA) and determine the explanatory factors of PA change.

Material and methods

This was a prospective cohort study. Cardiac, musculoskeletal and vocational rehabilitees (N = 36) had 6 months of rehabilitation, which included guided training and counselling face-to-face as well as through distance technology. PA (total, light, moderate, vigorous) was measured by an activity tracker. Biopsychosocial questionnaires, waist circumference, PA measurements and m-coach activity were used to determine the factors that influence PA change.

Main results

Technology-utilising rehabilitation improved light PA (+20 min/d, 95% CI 4–35 min/d, p = 0.002). Within subgroups, only cardiac rehabilitees improved their light physical activity (LPA) (p = 0.014), but the change was not significantly different compared with subgroups. There were no differences in the change in moderate, vigorous or total PA in either the study group or the subgroups. The improvement of LPA was related to lower age (p = 0.004) and lower activity (p = 0.004) at the baseline, impairments in experienced psychological health (p = 0.016) and satisfaction with social relationships (p = 0.014), improved satisfaction with environment (p = 0.002), strengthened significance of exercise (p = 0.037) and weakened pleasure of exercise (p = 0.040). The model explained 47% of the variation in the change in LPA.

Conclusion

Technology-utilising PA training seems to be a complex phenomenon in the rehabilitation context that is related to both biopsychosocial and environmental factors. This should be considered in future PA research and rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• Distance technology
• rehabilitation
• physical activity
• cardiac rehabilitee
• musculoskeletal rehabilitee
• vocational rehabilitee

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Teemu Paajanen and Viivi Haapaniemi for statistical help. The authors would also like to thank the Peurunka Rehabilitation Center for allowing us to use its facilities and its personnel for the intervention. Thank you to all the rehabilitees for your contribution.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The views expressed in the submitted article are our own and not an official position of the institution or funder.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Insurance Institution in Finland under Grant [Dnro84133112016].