Digital Technology for Active and Healthy Ageing in Taiwan

Sponsor
China Medical University Hospital
Study ID
NCT07232667
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Digital Health Literacy
  • Healthy Aging

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
60 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Geneactiv — DEVICE
    Participants will wear a research-grade actigraphy device (Geneactiv original, developed by Activinsights UK) on the non-dominant wrist for at least two consecutive weeks to continuously record physical activity, sleep-wake patterns, and light exposure. The visualised results will be presented to the participants to motivate their behavioural change.
  • iMED Mobile Health Platform — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will use the "iMED" mobile application developed by the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan (https://www.nhri.imed-health.com/). The platform provides personalized health education, medication reminders, AI-driven feedback on wearable data, and links to Taiwan's National Health Insurance health records.
  • iCue — DEVICE
    A non-invasive smart mat (iCue) placed under the mattress continuously monitors respiration rate, movement, and sleep parameters in participants with limited mobility.
  • Aging Well Taiwan — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will attend a community-based educational course adapted from Singapore's "Aging Well" framework, covering physical activity, diet, cognitive health, and digital literacy. The program follows the WHO Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) model and supports active aging and social participation.
  • Blood Biomarker Sampling — BIOLOGICAL
    Participants will provide venous blood samples at baseline and follow-up visits for analysis of dementia-related biomarkers, including total Tau, phosphorylated Tau 181 (pT181), phosphorylated Tau 217 (pT217), amyloid beta 1-40 (Aβ40), amyloid beta 1-42 (Aβ42), and neurofilament light chain (NfL), as well as apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping.

Study Details

Taiwan is entering a super-aged society in 2025, with more than 20% of the population aged 65 years or older. This rapid demographic shift, combined with increasing rates of chronic diseases, frailty, and dementia, has created growing challenges for healthcare and caregiving systems. Yunlin County, particularly its coastal region, has been one of Taiwan's earliest super-aged areas, showing higher rates of diabetes (10.5%), hypertension (28%), hyperlipidemia (26%), dementia (8%), and depression (12%) compared with national averages. Lifestyle factors such as tobacco (30%), betel nut (8%), and alcohol (15%) use are also more prevalent among local residents. From 2022 to 2024, health screenings at CMU Beigang Hospital revealed a 36.1% abnormality rate among 12,222 visits, while another 5,965 assessments from the county's ICOPE program showed similarly high rates. Many older adults, particularly retired agricultural and fishing workers, experience sedentary lifestyles and polypharmacy-related risks, which worsen frailty, insomnia, depression, and cognitive decline. Low general and digital health literacy further limits their ability to adopt preventive behaviors, forming a vicious cycle between poor health and aging. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched the "Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan." In alignment with this initiative, this project-led by CMU Beigang Hospital in collaboration with the National Health Research Institutes-aims to develop a wearable- and mobile-based health promotion model for rural older adults. The study will integrate research-grade actigraphy (Geneactiv), a mobile health platform ("iMED"), and the in-bed sensor iCue to monitor behavior, promote active aging, and enhance health and digital literacy. Ultimately, this project seeks to establish Taiwan's first integrated digital aging database and identify digital biomarkers for predicting cognitive and functional decline in older adults.

Key Dates

First listed
Nov 18, 2025
Start date
Apr 22, 2026
Status verified
May 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2028
Completion
Dec 31, 2029

Study Design

Enrollment
140 participants (estimated)

Arms

  • Arm: Health Promotion through Wearable and Mobile Technology
    Participants will join a community-based health program integrating wearables, mobile health platforms, and structured education to promote active lifestyles, enhance health literacy, and collect longitudinal data in older adults in rural Taiwan. Participants will: 1. Wear a research-grade wrist actigraphy device (GeneActiv) to record activity, sleep, and light exposure for ≥2 weeks. 2. Use the iMED mobile app (NHRI, Taiwan) for feedback, health education, and medication tracking. 3. For participants with limited mobility, use an under-mattress iCue sensor to monitor respiration and movement. 4. Attend Aging Well Taiwan sessions based on the WHO ICOPE framework. 5. Provide baseline and follow-up blood samples for dementia-related biomarkers (Tau, Aβ, NfL) and APOE genotyping.

Primary Outcome Measure

Activity-Sleep Pattern Regularity [ Time Frame: Baseline to 36 months. ]

Central Contacts

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