Darcy Ummels

General introduction | 13 1 The word ‘meaningful’ refers to our intention that the use of an activity tracker should be personalised and incorporated into daily life and healthcare in a manner that the data support both the patient and healthcare professional. It should provide insight into the patient’s activity levels, aid decisions, and support the formulation of recommendations for changing the patient’s behavioural habits towards a healthier lifestyle. This dissertation has three phases, in which five studies were performed (Figure 1.1). Figure 1.1 Outline of the dissertation. Phase One (Chapters Two and Three) studied the validity and feasibility of commercially available activity trackers in (older) adults who have chronic diseases and are receiving physiotherapy. Phase One addressed the following two research questions:  What is the validity of commercially available activity trackers during activities of daily living in (older) adults with a chronic disease?  How do (older) adults with a chronic disease experience the implementation of an activity tracker into their physiotherapy treatment? With the results of Phase One, a ‘new’ activity tracker was developed in Phase Two (Chapters Four and Five), by (re)designing the user interface of an existing activity tracker and developing an algorithm targeted at older adults with or without a chronic disease. The feasibility of the developed activity tracker was tested by older adults with or without a chronic disease. Phase Two addressed the following three research questions:  How can a non ‐ commercial activity tracker be developed into a feasible measurement tool for older adults with or without a chronic disease?