Boucher Eliane, Honomichl Ryan, Ward Haley, Powell Tyler, Stoeckl Sarah Elizabeth, Parks Acacia
Twill, New York, NY, United States.
JMIR Aging. 2022 Sep 2;5(3):e39851. doi: 10.2196/39851.
Digital interventions have been shown to be effective for a variety of mental health disorders and problems. However, few studies have examined the effects of digital interventions in older adults; therefore, little is known about how older adults engage with or benefit from these interventions. Given that adoption rates for technology among people aged ≥65 years remain substantially lower than in the general population and that approximately 20% of older adults are affected by mental health disorders, research exploring whether older adults will use and benefit from digital interventions is needed.
This study aimed to examine the extent to which older adults engaged with a digital well-being intervention (Happify) and whether engaging with this program led to improvements in both subjective well-being and anxiety symptoms.
In this retrospective analysis, we analyzed data from 375 real-world Happify users aged ≥65 years who signed up for the platform between January 1, 2019, and December 23, 2021. Changes in well-being and anxiety symptoms across 42 to 182 days were assessed using responses to the in-app assessment, which users were prompted to take every 2 weeks, and were compared among users who engaged with the program at the recommended level (ie, 2 or more activities per week) or below the recommended level.
In all, 30% (113/375) of the sample engaged with the platform at the recommended level (ie, completed an average of 2 or more activities per week), and overall, users completed an average of 43.35 (SD 87.80) activities, ranging from 1 to 786, between their first and last assessment. Users were also active on the platform for an average of 19.36 (SD 27.16) days, ranging from 1 to 152 days. Moreover, older adults who engaged at the recommended level experienced significantly greater improvements in subjective well-being (P=.002) and anxiety symptoms (P<.001) relative to those who completed fewer activities.
These data provide preliminary evidence that older adults engage with and benefit from digital well-being interventions. We believe that these findings highlight the importance of considering older adult populations in digital health research. More research is needed to understand potential barriers to using digital interventions among older adults and whether digital interventions should be modified to account for this population's particular needs (eg, ensuring that the intervention is accessible using a variety of devices). However, these results are an important step in demonstrating the feasibility of such interventions in a population that is assumed to be less inclined toward digital approaches.
数字干预已被证明对多种心理健康障碍和问题有效。然而，很少有研究考察数字干预对老年人的影响；因此，对于老年人如何参与这些干预或从中受益知之甚少。鉴于65岁及以上人群的技术采用率仍远低于普通人群，且约20%的老年人受心理健康障碍影响，需要开展研究探索老年人是否会使用数字干预并从中受益。
本研究旨在考察老年人参与数字健康干预（Happify）的程度，以及参与该项目是否能改善主观幸福感和焦虑症状。
在这项回顾性分析中，我们分析了2019年1月1日至2021年12月23日期间注册该平台的375名65岁及以上Happify真实用户的数据。使用应用内评估的回复来评估42至182天内幸福感和焦虑症状的变化，该评估提示用户每2周进行一次，并在按推荐水平（即每周2次或更多活动）参与项目的用户与低于推荐水平的用户之间进行比较。
总体而言，30%（113/375）的样本按推荐水平参与了该平台（即平均每周完成2次或更多活动），在首次评估和末次评估之间，用户总共平均完成了43.35次（标准差87.80）活动，范围从1次到786次。用户在平台上的活跃天数平均为19.36天（标准差27.16），范围从1天到152天。此外，与完成活动较少的老年人相比，按推荐水平参与的老年人在主观幸福感（P = 0.002）和焦虑症状（P < 0.001）方面有显著更大的改善。
这些数据提供了初步证据，表明老年人参与数字健康干预并从中受益。我们认为这些发现凸显了在数字健康研究中考虑老年人群体的重要性。需要更多研究来了解老年人使用数字干预的潜在障碍，以及是否应调整数字干预以满足该人群的特殊需求（例如，确保干预可通过多种设备访问）。然而，这些结果是朝着证明此类干预在假定对数字方法不太感兴趣的人群中的可行性迈出的重要一步。
