Influence of IoT-Integrated Smartwatches on Exercise Adherence and Knee Pain Reduction in Women Aged 40 to 60 years in Chennai city

Influence of IoT-Integrated Smartwatches on Exercise Adherence and Knee Pain Reduction in Women Aged 40 to 60 years in Chennai city | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Influence of IoT-Integrated Smartwatches on Exercise Adherence and Knee Pain Reduction in Women Aged 40 to 60 years in Chennai city Suganya Aravazhi M, Padmapriya D, Vijayalakshmi R Professor, Maragatham S Professor This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8996130/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 21 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction: Knee pain is a common musculoskeletal problem among middle-aged women, particularly between 40 to 60 years of age. Regular hamstring strengthening and therapeutic exercises are proven to reduce pain and improve mobility. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of internet of things (IoT) Smartwatches in management of hamstring strengthening exercises on knee joint pain, with the view to improve self-motivation and the quality of life of women suffering from arthritis. SDG: This research study is based on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being (Target 3.8), SDG 4: Quality education (Target 4.7), and SDG 5: Gender equality (Target 5.b). Research design: Quasi-experimental research design was used to assess the pre-test and post-test level of pain. The study was conducted at Chennai over a period of six months from July 2025 to December 2025. Sixty-seven women participants were selected using non-probability purposive sampling technique. Tool: The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is a tool used to measure the intensity of pain experienced before and after intervention. Women were instructed to perform a series of targeted exercises for 15 minutes daily for three months with their smartwatch. R esult: Exercise adherence improved from 38% to 79% (p < 0.001). Mean pain scores reduced from 7.02 ± 1.1 to 4.08 ± 0.9 (p < 0.001). It was found that there is significant reduction in post-test level of pain than the pre-test level of pain. Conclusion: There was a significant reduction on level of knee pain among women practiced hamstring exercises with IoT. The findings suggest that smartwatches significantly improved exercise compliance, self-monitoring behaviour and pain management outcomes. Chennai Exercise Adherence Hamstring strengthening Exercises IoT Knee pain SDG 3 SDG 4 SDG 5 Smartwatch Women’s Health Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 14 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 09 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 06 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 04 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 21 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 31 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 26 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 19 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 19 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8996130","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":630403977,"identity":"fa0fbd30-86da-47e1-80ce-0a3b9bf07ed1","order_by":0,"name":"Suganya Aravazhi M","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPCDCgjFTIKWM2CSsZl4HYxtRGiRn5F+8XNhm100A//hh48L59XJGxxvPv64oIZBnl/sAFYtBjdyiqVntiXnNkikGRvP3HbYcMOZY4nNM44xGM6cnYBdi0ROgjRvGzNQCw+bNO+2A4wzZ+QYNvOwMSQY3MauRX5GTvJv3rb63Ab+M0Atc+rsZ85//7GZ5x9uLQw30o8BbTmc28CQA9TSwJzYL8HD2MzbhluLwZk3bNY8547ntoH8wnPscHI/T5rhbN4+CZx+kW9Pf3ybp6w6tx8UYjw1dbZt7IcffOb5ZiPPL43DYQw8BgyMbAwMbGjCEjiUgwD7AwaGP3jkR8EoGAWjYBQAANO8WbpBX/r5AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Saveetha College of Nursing, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, SIMATS","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Suganya","middleName":"Aravazhi","lastName":"M","suffix":""},{"id":630403978,"identity":"0d463dba-18bd-4b73-8f42-3e8c75301205","order_by":1,"name":"Padmapriya D","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Saveetha College of Nursing, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, SIMATS","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Padmapriya","middleName":"","lastName":"D","suffix":""},{"id":630403979,"identity":"fa03d466-56e0-412d-bdab-fbc27b2bb924","order_by":2,"name":"Vijayalakshmi R Professor","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Saveetha College of Nursing, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, SIMATS","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vijayalakshmi","middleName":"R","lastName":"Professor","suffix":""},{"id":630403980,"identity":"28278baf-1c53-4957-9ae5-725d6b40bbf2","order_by":3,"name":"Maragatham S Professor","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Saveetha College of Nursing, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, SIMATS","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maragatham","middleName":"S","lastName":"Professor","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-28 14:38:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8996130/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8996130/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108093838,"identity":"0912b848-2922-47e9-a04b-9c3cb199264c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-29 09:43:01","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":276105,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ArticleRevised19thMar.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8996130/v1_covered_983bbc5e-7e36-4899-8d6e-e0e4603185a3.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Influence of IoT-Integrated Smartwatches on Exercise Adherence and Knee Pain Reduction in Women Aged 40 to 60 years in Chennai city","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-public-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Public Health](https://link.springer.com/journal/12982)","snPcode":"12982","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/12982/3","title":"Discover Public Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Chennai, Exercise Adherence, Hamstring strengthening Exercises, IoT, Knee pain, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 5, Smartwatch, Women’s Health","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8996130/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8996130/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction:\u003c/strong\u003e Knee pain is a common musculoskeletal problem among middle-aged women, particularly between 40 to 60 years of age. Regular hamstring strengthening and therapeutic exercises are proven to reduce pain and improve mobility. \u003cstrong\u003eObjective:\u003c/strong\u003e The aim of the study was to assess the effect of internet of things (IoT) Smartwatches in management of hamstring strengthening exercises on knee joint pain, with the view to improve self-motivation and the quality of life of women suffering from arthritis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSDG:\u003c/strong\u003eThis research study is based on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being (Target 3.8), SDG 4: Quality education (Target 4.7), and SDG 5: Gender equality (Target 5.b).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResearch design:\u003c/strong\u003e Quasi-experimental research design was used to assess the pre-test and post-test level of pain. The study was conducted at Chennai over a period of six months from July 2025 to December 2025. Sixty-seven women participants were selected using non-probability purposive sampling technique.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTool:\u003c/strong\u003eThe Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) is a tool used to measure the intensity of pain experienced before and after intervention. Women were instructed to perform a series of targeted exercises for 15 minutes daily for three months with their smartwatch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eR\u003cstrong\u003eesult:\u003c/strong\u003e Exercise adherence improved from 38% to 79% (p \u0026lt; 0.001). Mean pain scores reduced from 7.02 ± 1.1 to 4.08 ± 0.9 (p \u0026lt; 0.001). It was found that there is significant reduction in post-test level of pain than the pre-test level of pain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion:\u003c/strong\u003e There was a significant reduction on level of knee pain among women practiced hamstring exercises with IoT. The findings suggest that smartwatches significantly improved exercise compliance, self-monitoring behaviour and pain management outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Influence of IoT-Integrated Smartwatches on Exercise Adherence and Knee Pain Reduction in Women Aged 40 to 60 years in Chennai city","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-29 09:42:49","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8996130/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision 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