Promoting healthy aging through intergenerational exchange and digital empowerment: a pilot randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Social isolation and loneliness are critical public health issues for older adults.
• Intergenerational programs offer a promising approach to enhance well-being and social participation.
• Integrating digital literacy support can address the digital divide and reduce social exclusion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a psychosocial intervention.
• The intervention focused on intergenerational exchange and digital literacy for older adults.
• To evaluate participant satisfaction and explore impacts on quality of life, social rhythms, and depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A 12-week crossover randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted.
• Participants engaged in co-preparing and discussing seminar presentations, both in-person and online.
• Feasibility was measured by dropout rates and satisfaction; efficacy by SF-12, BSRS, and PHQ-9.

Main Results:

• High participant satisfaction (M = 37.06, SD = 3.08) and moderate engagement were observed.
• A statistically significant improvement was found in the Brief Social Rhythms Scale (BSRS) (p = 0.033).
• Trends toward improvement were noted in depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) and quality of life (SF-12), but did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions:

• The intervention demonstrated high satisfaction and moderate engagement among older adults.
• Positive impacts on the regularity of biological and behavioral rhythms suggest a promising protective factor for healthy aging.
• Larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are recommended for future research to confirm findings.