Effectiveness of the mHealth technology in improvement of healthy behaviors in an elderly population—a systematic review

Abstract

Demographic changes in the 21st century, increased population of the elderly and high prevalence of related diseases call for new healthcare strategies that can change the behavior and lifestyle of elderly individuals. Innovative information and communication technology, such as mobile health (mHealth), can play a significant role. The present study was conducted aiming to assess the effectiveness of mHealth in improving health behaviors among an elderly population. This paper presents a systematic review involving a search of PubMed, Web of Science (ISI), Scopus, Science Direct and Embase databases from [2012-2016]. Our search resulted after initial evaluations 12 articles. Inclusion criteria mostly revolved around interventional studies, other studies were excluded because of their methodology, non-elderly target groups and irrelevant to the subject. Findings showed that mHealth can improve care, self-management, self-efficacy, behavior promotion (quality of sleep, diet, physical activity mental health) and medication adherence. The mHealth technology has proven effective for disease prevention, lifestyle changes, management of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and is a suitable tool for elderly people. In conclusion, it seems that mHealth can facilitate behavioral changes; although, further research is necessary in this regard.

Effectiveness of Mobile Phone-Based Interventions for Improving Health Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…This was related to the results of a systematic review on the effects of remote patient monitoring among health failure patients, in which 15 out of 19 were elderly patients [36]. Changizi and Kaveh [37] also found that mHealth interventions were effective in improving healthy behaviors in persons aged over 60, showing that the interventions were statistically significant in improving disease prevention, lifestyle changes, and cardiovascular disease management. These results support the argument that mobile phone-based interventions are feasible and can benefit the health outcomes of older HF patients.…”

Mobile Health Interventions for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep in Adults Aged 50 Years and Older: A Systematic Literature Review

“…In the present review, which unlike that of Muellmann et al (2018) focused on mobile interventions and included three types of behaviors (PA, SB, and sleep), only 8 of the studies included long-term follow-up data, with periods of follow-up ranging from 3 (four studies), 6-8 (three studies), to 24 (one study) months. In the 12 studies reviewed by Changizi and Kaveh (2017), the average duration of the interventions was approximately 24 weeks, but no information about long-term follow-up or sustainability of effects was provided.…”

“…Interestingly, Muellmann et al (2018) reached the same conclusion in their review of eHealth PA interventions for older adults. Whether theory guided intervention development in the studies reviewed by Changizi and Kaveh (2017) was not clear. Additionally, an important step in identifying effective interventions is to design them in a way that allows for evaluation of different intervention components and identification of specific behavior change techniques thought to drive behavior change.…”

“…More specifically, in terms of behavioral outcomes, two recent reviews focused on studies of older adults. Changizi and Kaveh (2017) published a systematic review of experimental studies (clinical trials and randomized control trials [RCTs]) published between 2012 and 2016 to assess the effectiveness of mHealth in changing health behaviors and improving disease recovery in older adults. The review had a broad focus on health behaviors ranging from PA, dietary habits, and sleep to medication adherence and mental health outcomes.…”

Development and Evaluation of an Android-based Platform for Early MCI Detection in an Elderly Population

“…Such apps are intended to promote individuals' health-related behaviors such as sleep, diet, physical activity, and mental health, as well as adherence to medication. Mobile health (m-health) can also be useful in disease prevention, lifestyle modification, cardiovascular disease management, and diabetes (18). M-health is therefore a valuable and appropriate tool for the elderly.…”