Abstract
BackgroundHealthy aging (HA) is a contemporary challenge for population health worldwide. Electronic health (e-Health) interventions have the potential to support empowerment and education of adults aged 50 and over.ObjectivesTo summarize evidence on the effectiveness of e-Health interventions on HA and explore how specific e-Health interventions and their characteristics effectively impact HA.MethodsA systematic review was conducted based on the Cochrane Collaboration methods including any experimental study design published in French, Dutch, Spanish, and English from 2000 to 2018.ResultsFourteen studies comparing various e-Health interventions to multiple components controls were included. The target population, type of interventions, and outcomes measured were very heterogeneous across studies; thus, a meta-analysis was not possible. However, effect estimates indicate that e-Health interventions could improve physical activity. Positive effects were also found for other healthy behaviors (e.g., healthy eating), psychological outcomes (e.g., memory), and clinical parameters (e.g., blood pressure). Given the low certainty of the evidence related to most outcomes, these results should be interpreted cautiously.ConclusionsThis systematic review found limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of e-Health interventions, although the majority of studies show positive effects of these interventions for improving physical activity in older adults. Thus, better quality evidence is needed regarding the effects of e-Health on the physiological, psychological, and social dimensions of HA.Systematic review registrationThe review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42016033163)
Highlights
Healthy aging (HA) is a contemporary challenge for population health worldwide
This systematic review found limited evidence supporting the effectiveness of e-Health interventions, the majority of studies show positive effects of these interventions for improving physical activity in older adults
Better quality evidence is needed regarding the effects of e-Health on the physiological, psychological, and social dimensions of HA
Summary
Healthy aging (HA) is a contemporary challenge for population health worldwide. Electronic health (e-Health) interventions have the potential to support empowerment and education of adults aged 50 and over. Baby boomers are reaching the retirement age while policies are levied to keep older adults active in prolonging the working period (i.e., in Greece, France, Denmark) [6,7,8]. This cohort and onward generations in the “early old age” (defined by the WHO as people aged 50 years or above) [9] increasingly use information and communication technologies (ICT) in their daily activities [10]. The WHO defines e-Health as the electronic exchange of health-related data collected or analyzed through electronic connectivity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery [11]
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