Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Technology-assisted physical activity interventions for older adults in their home-based environment have been used to promote physical activity. While previous reviews focused on health-related outcomes of such interventions, this scoping review explores the characteristics of the technology in relation to the characteristics of populations, exercise types and usability in terms of adverse events, drop-outs, adherence and user experience. We identified 8496 sources. After title and abstract screening, 455 full texts were assessed, and 148 were included, representing 12,717 participants aged 74 (SD 6) years. In total, 93 (63%) sources reported on the population’s health status. The main purpose of the interventions was balance (51%), and strength and power (43%) and intervention purposes were not related to embedded technology. In studies where the participant’s health status was reported as healthy, 53% implemented exergames compared to only 27% in studies with participants with a clinical condition. Mobile apps (20%) and trackers (11%) were implemented likewise in both groups. The technology was embedded to provide continuous exercise information (27%) and exercise feedback (27%) or to record real-time movement data (26%). Adverse events were reported in 68 (46%) of the sources with three quarters (49 sources) reporting no adverse events. Only 2 mild events were related to technology. Dropout rates were reported in 100 (68%) studies, with no differences between intervention (16±16%) and control (14±12%) groups. Dropout reasons related to technology in 3%. Adherence was reported in 78 studies (53%) and was slightly higher in the intervention group (80±18%) compared to the control group (71±25%). A significantly higher adherence was found between interventions that were tailored (83 ± 15%) versus those that were not (75±21%). General enjoyment of the technology was captured in 55 studies (37%) and was rated positive (91%), neutral (7%) or negative (2%). Occasionally reported wishes were related to goal setting, feedback, technical support, exercise variation, and social setting. In conclusion, various technologies were successfully used in healthy and clinical older populations. The embedded technology was not a reason for additional dropouts, lead to slightly better adherence, and adverse events were rarely related to technology. When assessed, the technology was well accepted and positively enjoyed.

Despite substantial evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity (PA) for older adults, participation rates remain low due to physical, psychological, social, and institutional barriers. Recruiting older adults for PA studies thus presents significant challenges, particularly for socially vulnerable populations and those facing digital literacy limitations in technology-assisted PA interventions. The present study aimed to articulate and establish a consensus among multidisciplinary and multinational PA experts regarding key considerations and requirements for designing and implementing recruitment of older adults for PA studies. This study employed a mixed-methods consensus approach integrating a structured formal consensus process with a two-round Delphi survey. Through face-to-face and online discussions, an expert panel group formulated 104 initial recommendations regarding the recruitment of older adults for PA studies. In the first Delphi round, 42 external experts assessed the relevance of each recommendation, and recommendations with a ≥ 70% agreement threshold were considered consensual. The second round included 60 refined recommendations that were evaluated by 31 experts. A final consensus was reached through iterative expert panel discussions. Of the 104 initial recommendations, 52 (50%) met the inclusion threshold during the first round. In the second round of Delphi, 36 of the 60 revised recommendations (60%) achieved consensus, with agreement ranging from 71.0 to 96.8%. The final consensus process established 34 key recommendations categorized into four domains: (1) ethical principles (71.7–93.5%), (2) informed consent (71.0–96.8%), (3) stakeholder engagement (61.3–83.9%), and (4) recruitment strategies for technology-assisted PA interventions (74.2–87.1%). However, there remains a lack of consensus on the extent to which sociocultural diversity and differences in sample representation should be addressed. This study provides expert-driven, consensus-based recommendations to improve the recruitment of older adults for PA studies. Adherence to ethical considerations, informed consent procedures, stakeholder collaboration, and tailored strategies for technology-assisted interventions were highlighted. These findings offer practical guidance for researchers and practitioners in planning and obtaining adequate participation in PA studies involving older adults.

Objective: To explore the health-related quality of life and how this is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, mediated by personality characteristics in women with Endometriosis Design: Quantitative, cross-sectional study Setting: Cyprus Population or Sample: 47 Cypriot women aged between 20-46 diagnosed with Endometriosis. Methods: Participants, after receiving information about the aims and objectives of the study consented to complete either online or face-to-face questionnaires. With the use of an online platform, volunteers completed three questionnaires. Main Outcome Measures: The psychometric tools used were the Endometriosis Health Profile-30, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the International Personality Item Pool - Five Factor Model 50. Results: Significant effects of health-related quality of life on symptoms of anxiety and stress emerged. Symptoms of depression showed no significant effect. Neuroticism affected symptoms of anxiety and stress in an unexpected way, as high levels of Neuroticism predicted low levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Also, Neuroticism acts as a mediating factor between health-related quality of life and symptoms of anxiety and stress. Conclusions: These results show how drastically Endometriosis can negatively affect the mental health and quality of life of women. Health-related quality of life affects symptoms of anxiety and stress, which brings upon new evidence to enhance the embodiment of psychological support in the treatment of Endometriosis.

Background/Objectives: The Common-Sense Model (CSM) explains the dynamic framework by which individuals understand and respond to health threats. Research utilizing the CSM highlights the importance of understanding not only patients but also informal caregivers’ cognitive schema regarding the patient’s condition, as these perceptions impact both the patient’s and the caregiver’s physical and mental health. This study examined whether informal cancer caregivers’ illness representations predict their quality of life (QoL) and whether social support moderates these relationships. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 100 caregivers using validated measures of illness perceptions (IPQ-R), QoL (SF-36), and social support (MSPSS). Results: Regression analyses showed that perceived therapy control and emotional representations significantly predicted mental health-related QoL. Illness coherence predicted physical health-related QoL. Moderation analyses indicated that social support did not moderate relationships between illness representations and QoL. Conclusions: These findings suggest that caregivers’ cognitive and emotional interpretations of the patient’s illness play an important role in their well-being, whereas social support was not a significant moderator between illness beliefs and QoL related to physical and mental health.