Technology is evolving and quickly at that! Be it for work, school, home, or play, technology has been heavily integrated into our everyday lives. We stream movies on our laptops, play games on our tablets, ask our smart speakers to turn the lights on or play the next song, and shop on our mobile phones. There is no shortage of screens and platforms to lean on and enjoy. But digital technologies can do more than just make our lives easier and provide us with entertainment. They can also have positive impacts on our physical and mental health (1-3).

1. Making healthy lifestyle changes

Chatbots are a type of technology that replicates human communication through voice/speech, visuals (e.g., avatars or images), or text (1-3). Strategies that use chatbots can be delivered in multiple ways including via apps, websites, text-messages, and smart speakers (1). Research shows that chatbot-based strategies may improve health behaviours related to diet and physical activity by small to moderate amounts across various populations. Specific areas that may see benefits are total physical activity, daily step counts, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Additional research is needed to further solidify these promising findings (1).

2. Improving physical function

Lack of access to exercise facilities, financial limitations, and mobility issues are a few barriers that can hold people back from engaging in physical activity. Exercising at home can remove some of these barriers and is further supported by digital technologies like apps, websites, DVDs, videogames, and virtual agents. Research shows that home-based exercise programs delivered through digital technologies can improve physical function in older adults living in the community. Specific areas that can see benefits are functional capacity and lower limb strength. Added benefits may include greater health-related quality of life and a lower number of falls (4).

3. Enhanced mental wellbeing

From video conferencing tools to telemedicine, technology can help keep people connected to everyone from their loved ones to their healthcare providers. Research shows that internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy may decrease depressive symptoms in older adults who live in the community. More research is needed to support these findings (5;6).

Technology is at our fingertips. Let’s leverage it to improve different aspects of our health and well-being. Consult your healthcare team about where you can appropriately incorporate technology into your prevention or treatment plans.

References

1. Singh B, Olds T, Brinsley, J, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of chatbots on lifestyle behaviours. Digit Med. 2023; 6:118. doi: 10.1038/s41746-023-00856-1.
2. Aggarwal A, Tam CC, Wu D, et al. Artificial intelligence-based chatbots for promoting health behavioral changes: Systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2023; 25:e40789. doi: 10.2196/40789.
3. Laranjo L, Dunn AG, Tong, HL, et al. Conversational agents in healthcare: A systematic review. J Am Med Inf Assoc. 2018; 25:1248-1258. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocy072.
4. Solis-Navarro L, Gismero A, Fernandez-Jane C, et al. Effectiveness of home-based exercise delivered by digital health in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Age Ageing. 2022; 51(11):afac243. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afac243.
5. Goodarzi Z, Watt J, Kirkham J, et al. Depression in community residing elders (DIRE): A rapid review of depression telemedicine interventions for older adults living in the community. CIHR. 2020.
6. Chan M, Jiang Y, Lee CYC, et al. Effectiveness of eHealth-based cognitive behavioural therapy on depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Nurs. 2022; 31(21-22):3021-3031. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16212.