Affiliation:
1. College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
2. Robotics Lab, Hyundai Motor Company, Uiwang 16082, Republic of Korea
3. College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted to integrate and analyze intervention studies dealing with the effects of information and communications technology- (ICT-) based interventions on the physical mobility of older adults in the community. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched for studies published from January 2000 to December 2022. We used the Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool to evaluate the quality of the randomized controlled studies in the systematic review. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. The model was used to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for both effect measures. I2 tests were used to measure the presence of heterogeneity. Thirty-seven randomized controlled trials were included (2,419 intervention participants), of which 23 were included in the meta-analysis. ICT interventions significantly improved Timed Up and Go (TUG) as a marker of physical mobility variable in older adults (SMD = −0.33, 95% CI: −0.57 to −0.10,
, I2 = 74.7%). A sensitivity analysis was performed on subgroups, and interventions were found to be effective in improving TUG in the exergame group (SMD = −0.40, 95% CI: −0.72 to −0.08,
, I2 = 75.0%) and in the exergame with virtual reality (VR) group (SMD = −0.33, 95% CI: −1.01 to 0.35,
, I2 = 91.0%) but both groups showed high heterogeneity. A meta-analysis was also performed on Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) but statistically significant results were not found (SMD = −0.19, 95% CI: −0.61 to 0.23,
, I2 = 87.7%). For the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the post-intervention scores were significantly better than baseline (SMD = 1.52, 95% CI: 0.48 to 2.57,
, I2 = 93.5%). However, the number of studies included in the meta-analysis was small and heterogeneity was high, so follow-up studies are needed. This study confirmed that exergames, telecommunication, e-health, information applications, and robots were used as effective ICT-based interventions for improving the physical mobility of older adults. It is necessary to develop and apply more diverse ICT-based interventions that will prevent impairments of mobility and encourage older adults to live more independently, with a higher quality of life, based on extensive research on ICT-based interventions.
Funder
Korea Health Industry Development Institute