Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

As the population of older adults grows rapidly over the next decade, healthcare systems will face increasing demand and costs, partly due to rising rates of chronic diseases. To tackle these challenges, promoting healthy aging and encouraging older adults to stay on top of recommended preventive care, such as screenings and vaccinations, is vital. However, many older adults do not complete these preventive care activities as recommended. This systematic review examined how digital tools can help increase the use of preventive care among older adults. It analyzed 45 studies that used various digital strategies, including telephone calls, text messages, online education, mailed letters, and online programs. Most studies focused on colorectal cancer screenings, such as mailing stool test kits with reminders or vaccinations. While these interventions showed improvements in preventive care, the increases were generally small. Telephone calls were the most common technology used, followed by text messages and online tools. Only a few studies addressed multiple types of preventive care or used health behaviour theories to design their programs. This suggests that many interventions could be improved by better tailoring them to the needs of older adults. In summary, digital tools promise to improve preventive care among older adults, but there is room for improvement. Future efforts should focus on creating more engaging, accessible, and comprehensive programs that address multiple preventive care needs and are informed by health behaviour research. This could help older adults stay healthier and reduce the burden on healthcare systems.