Impact Evaluation of the Digital Connect Project for Homebound Older Adults

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Aging Well

Treatments: Behavioral: Digital intervention through Tablet

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06217601

Digital Connect

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of the Digital Connect Project on increasing functional capacity defined by the WHO-ICOPE and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among homebound older adults.

Full description

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is launching the Digital Connect project to increase the well-being and social connectedness of the homebound older adults. A total of 32 NGOs are applying for 7,500 tablets and data plan (in total) through this project. Different digital programs will be rolled out to enhance their well-being and social connectedness. This study aim is to capture the impact of this Digital Connect project on the health outcomes of the homebound older adults. The tablet intervention will be offered by the NGOs within a 2-year timeframe. Web-based multi-domain lifestyle training intervention will be conducted to promoted and focus three lifestyles: nutritional advice, exercise and cognitive training; chat communication with research team, and personalized agenda on daily activities and an information library.

The object of this study is to explore the dose-response relationship between online engagement in the different types of activity and the improvement in the corresponding health outcomes, including the five domains: (1) Physical function, (2) Cognitive function, (3) Psychological function, (4) Social function and (5) Health-related quality of life. One baseline assessment and four follow-ups will be arranged in every 3-month interval. To account for immortal time bias, each subject will be created with two clones at time zero and assigned each of the two clones to either treatment or control group, respectively.

The engagement experience will be explored by interviewing the participants and service stakeholders through the planning and delivery of the digital intervention for the homebound older adults.

Enrollment: 1,024 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• age > 65
• consent to participate
• able to participate in the impact assessment as evidence by a test score of > 6 on the Abbreviated Mental Test
• has the functional ability to engage in the digital intervention

Exclusion criteria

-

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,024 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Treatment status

Experimental group

Description:

To account for immortal time bias, each subject will be created with two clones at time zero and assigned each of the two clones to either treatment or no-treatment status, respectively. The treatment status in each evaluative endpoint (i.e., 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month) is defined as subjects who have received the digital intervention for the respective length of time since the time zero during which the intervention has just commenced.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Digital intervention through Tablet

No-treatment status

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

To account for immortal time bias, each subject will be created with two clones at time zero and assigned each of the two clones to either treatment or no-treatment status, respectively. The corresponding no-treatment status is defined as subjects who have not received the digital intervention for the corresponding length of time.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Digital intervention through Tablet