Adequate daily hydration is essential for optimal health, yet one third of adults worldwide fail to meet recommended water intake. The risk is especially pronounced among adults aged 50–65, who record the lowest consumption and are at increased risk of dehydration related complications affecting digestive, respiratory, nervous systems, among others. Although several mobile interventions have been made to promote fluid intake, only a few employ evidence-based persuasive strategies or are tailored to the specific habits and motivations of middle-aged adults. This study introduces PersuDrink 50+, a persuasive mobile application designed for healthy individuals aged 50–65 to improve hydration behaviors. The app integrates goal setting, real time feedback, and personalized reminders grounded in the Persuasive Systems Design framework. A three-day pilot with six participants (mean age = 57 ± 2.73 years) evaluated its impact on knowledge of hydration benefits, attitudes toward drinking water, perceived self-control, intention to increase intake, and actual consumption. Pre- and post-intervention surveys measured these constructs, while the app’s built-in tracker logged daily fluid volume. Results demonstrated gains across all outcomes: knowledge scores rose from 1.4 to 3.0, perceived control from 5.75 to 8.10, attitudes from 7.36 to 9.28, and intention from 6.33 to 8.63. Correspondingly, participants increased or decreased their daily water intake to align with the WHO recommendation of ≥2 L/day. While the small sample and short test time do not enable generalizing about it, these preliminary findings suggest that PersuDrink 50+ enhances hydration knowledge and motivation in a short time frame. Future work will involve a larger randomized controlled trial and extended test time and follow up to assess the long-term effectiveness of the system.
Espinoza et al. (Wed,) studied this question.