The Great Plains Internet Wellness Study for Aging: The GP I-WAS Project

Obesity is a major public health concern in older adults, who are also one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. The health consequences associated with obesity in older adulthood are severe and include increased risk for chronic diseases, poor physical functioning and early mortality. Concurrently engaging in healthy behaviors such as physical activity, a healthy diet, and adequate sleep have each shown to be influential in reducing obesity. Despite evidence suggesting that these healthy behaviors reduce the risk for obesity, older adults have difficulty achieving such healthy lifestyles due to barriers such as geographical isolation from lack of transportation, motivation and education. The internet is an effective mode for relaying health information to a wide-ranging audience, including those that live in rural communities or are home bound. Further, internet usage among older adults continues to increase. Therefore, the internet could be an effective tool for administering a wellness intervention for older adults and incorporating community-based participatory research principles such as inviting stakeholders (i.e., older adults) in all phases of the research will magnify the impact of the research for the population in which it is intended to help. Our long-term goal is to help older adults achieve healthy lifestyles that promote successful aging. The overall objective of the proposed research, which is the next step in pursuit of that goal, is to improve healthy lifestyles in older adults by utilizing the internet for delivering a wellness intervention that is designed by both investigators and stakeholders. To propel toward accomplishing our overall objective, the following three specific aims will be pursued: 1) collaborate with stakeholders in all phases of the internet-based wellness intervention to gain knowledge on the perspectives of the older adult population, 2) assess the feasibility of an internet-based wellness intervention for obese older adults, and 3) determine if completing an internet based wellness intervention improves healthy behaviors among obese older adults. We will recruit 20 eligible older adults to participate in an internet-based wellness intervention. A prospective, within-participant design with multiple assessments across the 10-week study period and 1-month follow-up will allow us to optimize power with a smaller sample size and assess within-person change over time.