Limitations
diabetes
CHRONIC PAIN, HYPERTENSION, DIABETES
This study had several limitations. First, the education level of the recruited participants was generally higher than that of the general population of community-dwelling older adults. High education levels may have allowed older adults to continue using the app, even without support from caregivers. Thus, the results of the study may not be applicable to older adults with no formal education. Second, the study did not assess the impact of removing the reminder message function from the mHealth app between T2 and T3. Third, since the mHealth app in this study has multiple features, the effects of individual components (eg, reminder messages only) on the participants’ sustained usage are unknown. Fourth, the majority of the participants were female, suggesting that the findings may not offer a balanced view across both genders. Fifth, the study did not conduct subgroup analysis on participants who have either chronic pain, hypertension, or diabetes, and thus it is not known whether the program is more effective to a particular group of participants. Sixth, there was no qualitative interview in this study to explore the reasons for discontinuation of app usage among mHealth and mHealth+I participants.