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.