Physical activity mobile app (CareFit) for informal carers of people with dementia: Protocol for a feasibility and adaptation study

Background:

Physical activity is a critical component of both wellbeing and preventative health: reducing the risk of both chronic mental and physical conditions and early death. Yet there are numerous groups in society who are not able to undertake as much physical activity as they would like to. This includes informal (unpaid) carers where UK national survey data suggests that 81% would like to do more physical activity on a regular basis. There is a clear need to develop innovations including digital interventions that hold implementation potential to support regular physical activity in groups such as carers .

Objective:

To expand and personalize a cross-platform digital health app that is designed to support regular physical activity in carers of people with dementia for a period of 8 weeks and evaluate the potential for implementation.

Methods:

The CareFit for dementia carers study is a mixed-methods codesign, development and evaluation of a novel motivational cross platform app to support home-based regular physical activity for unpaid dementia carers. The study was planned to take place across 16 months in total (1st September 2022 to 31st December 2023). The first phase will include iterative design sprints to redesign an initial prototype for widespread use supported through a bespoke Content Management System ‘CMS’. The second phase will include the release of the ‘CareFit’ app across Scotland through invitation on the Apple and Google stores where we aim to recruit 50 carers in total and up to 40 professionals. Partnerships for the work will include a range of stakeholders across charities, health and social care partnerships, physical activity groups and carers organizations. We will explore implementation of CareFit, guided by the RE-AIM framework which will include the potential Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance.

Results:

The barriers and enablers for professional staff to signpost/use CareFit will be assessed through interviews/focus groups and round stakeholder meetings. The usability of CareFit will be explored through qualitative interviews with carers and a System Usability Scale (SUS). We will examine how CareFit can add value to carers through examining in app data, pre-post questionnaire responses alongside qualitative work including interviews and focus groups. We will also explore how CareFit could add value to the landscape of other online resources for dementia carerResults from this study will contribute new knowledge including identifying: (i) suitable pathways to identify and support carers to digital innovations, (ii) future design of definitive studies in carer populations alongside, (iii) an improved understanding of the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance of digital innovations across a range of key stakeholders.s.

Conclusions:

Results from this study will contribute new knowledge including identifying: (i) suitable pathways to identify and support carers to digital innovations, (ii) future design of definitive studies in carer populations alongside, (iii) an improved understanding of the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance of digital innovations across a range of key stakeholders.