Entertainment by Training on a Personalized Exergame Platform (ENTERTRAIN)

The objective of EnterTrain is given by its name: enhancing the health and quality of life of independently living older adults by motivating them for physical training in an entertaining way. It is known that physical activity is important for older adults at any age and health status, from a healthy 50-year-old up to a frail 80-year-old. It can enhance the quality of life by reducing risks of some chronic diseases and relieve depression.
A popular solution for enhancing the physical activity of older adults is to provide them with computer games which are played via body movement and thus have the inherent effect of unobtrusive physical exercise: so-called exergames (Kharrazi, Lu, Gharghabi, & Coleman, 2012).
These games are based on common sensors that track the user’s movement and can therefore easily be played at home. The core idea of exergames is that they persuade older adults to exercise more simply because it is fun to play.
EnterTrain aims to enhance the quality of life of older adults ranging from a healthy 65-year-old up to a frail 80-year old. To respond to this heterogeneity, EnterTrain follows two strategies: first, personalization of the software and second, involvement of different groups of end-users.As EnterTrain targets physical activity, health and frailty are crucial distinguishing features of end-users.
While older adults themselves are the primary end-users, two important groups of secondary end-users can be defined: a) formal and informal care-givers and b) (grand-) children. While formal and informal care-givers play a major role in providing access to frail older adults in fourth age, who are a particularly hard-to-reach target group, (grand-)children can motivate older adults in third age to play on the EnterTrain platform and thus raise acceptance. Finally, NGOs in the field of care form the group of tertiary end-users also involved in the project consortium (NFE).

End-user involvement in the EnterTrain project comprises:

- a user requirement analysis among primary and secondary end-users
- through an Advanced Advisory Board (AAB) that guides the research process with their expertise in the life worlds and needs of older adults
-  a two-phase pilot application: In phase 1, four lead users (in both life stages) will test the platform for two months. Phase 2 comprises an experimental design in which 40 primary-end users test the platform for 12 months. Acceptance, usability and impact are measured continuously throughout this time by quantitative socio-empiric methods.