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Book Chapter

Promuovere l’invecchiamento attivo attraverso la comunicazione: effetti di un intervento tramite app per incentivare l’attività fisica

  • Laura Picciafoco
  • Michela Vezzoli
  • Valentina Carfora
  • Patrizia Catellani

This paper presents an experimental study aimed at promoting physical activity among individuals aged over 50 through an app-based messaging intervention. A total of 312 participants were recruited via online panels. The intervention involved the delivery of prefactual («if… then…») messages over a two-week period. These messages were framed in terms of ‘Gain’ or ‘Non-Loss’ and focused on either the physical or mental health consequences of engaging in physical activity. Findings indicated that, overall, exposure to ‘Mental Non-Loss’ messages led to an increase in light and moderate physical activity and a reduction in sedentary behaviour. The effectiveness of the messages varied according to individual interests: those with low interest in mental health showed increased light physical activity when exposed to ‘Mental Gain’ messages, whereas individuals with a high interest in physical health increased their light physical activity in response to ‘Physical Non-Loss’ messages. This intervention provides valuable insights into how personalised communication strategies can effectively promote physical activity among older adults.

  • Keywords:
  • Active Ageing,
  • Health,
  • Older Adults,
  • Persuasive Communication,
  • Physical Activity,
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Laura Picciafoco

Catholic University of Sacro Cuore of Milan, Italy - ORCID: 0009-0000-3794-3684

Michela Vezzoli

University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0003-2122-2764

Valentina Carfora

Catholic University of Sacro Cuore of Milan, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-4111-6443

Patrizia Catellani

Catholic University of Sacro Cuore of Milan, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-7195-8967

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  • Publication Year: 2025
  • Pages: 431-441
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
  • © 2025 Author(s)

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  • Publication Year: 2025
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Promuovere l’invecchiamento attivo attraverso la comunicazione: effetti di un intervento tramite app per incentivare l’attività fisica

Authors

Laura Picciafoco, Michela Vezzoli, Valentina Carfora, Patrizia Catellani

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0744-7.52

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Accompagnare la longevità

Book Subtitle

Buone pratiche educative e formative per l’invecchiamento attivo

Editors

Vanna Boffo, Michele Bertani, Donatella Bramanti, Rabih Chattat, Laura Formenti

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

628

Publication Year

2025

Copyright Information

© 2025 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0744-7

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0743-0

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0744-7

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-0745-4

Series Title

Studies on Adult Learning and Education

Series ISSN

2704-596X

Series E-ISSN

2704-5781

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