Grant: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

Family caregivers-such as those looking after aging parents or loved ones with serious illnesses-are essential to our healthcare system. Yet nearly 70% report mental health struggles such as stress, anxiety, and burnout. Digital tools, like smartphone apps, may help, but many existing studies rely only on self-reported surveys and don't measure actual changes in things like sleep or physical activity. In addition, few caregiver programs are designed with the differences between men and women in mind, even though gender often shapes caregiving roles and experiences. This project, called CareEC, aims to close those gaps. It will test a 12-week mobile app designed to support people caring for adults with long-term, non-cancer illnesses. The app includes weekly educational content tailored to gender-specific needs, friendly reminders, and a moderated discussion forum. We will study whether the app improves caregivers' mental health, wellbeing, and sleep/activity levels (measured using fitness trackers). We also want to know if the program works differently for women and men, and whether users find the gender-based features helpful and easy to use. In total, 120 caregivers will be randomly assigned to use the app or not. Their feedback and health measures will help us understand what works, for whom, and why. This will be the first Canadian study to test a digital caregiver program that includes both objective health data and gender-sensitive design. The results will help us build better, more personalized supports for caregivers and ensure that digital tools meet the real-world needs of diverse users.