JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

With the aging of the population and the increase in the rate of chronic diseases among seniors, they must be supported to adopt healthy lifestyle to promote their health. To this end, web-based interventions should be considered, knowing that they would be accessible and favorable to healthy lifestyles among seniors. However, the components and effects of these interventions are varied across the literature and only two syntheses of knowledge are devoted to web-based interventions in the elderly. These studies focus on a population of people aged 50 and over, whereas the components and effects of interventions with older people (i.e., 65 and over) may differ. In addition, these two syntheses are devoted only to quantitative studies, although other types of studies (i.e., qualitative) are available and could contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this field. Performing a scoping review thus becomes relevant in order to explore the extent of the literature on this subject.

Objective:

The purpose of this protocol is to explore the extend of the literature (experimental, quasi-experimental, qualitative, systematic reviews, and gray literature document) on the components and effects of web-based interventions to promote healthy lifestyles among seniors.

Methods:

A scoping review will be carried out according to the six steps method of Levac, Colquhoun, O’Brien (2010). The databases MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychInfo, Web of Science, Global Health Cochrane Database of Systematic Review and Joanna Briggs Library will be searched, in addition to the gray literature with Google Scholar and Open Gray. The selection of studies will be carried out by two independent authors. The data will be synthesized according to the conceptualization of web-based interventions (i.e., behavior change techniques, dispensation modes, and theories) proposed by Webb et al. (2010). A thematic analysis will be performed to summarize the components of the interventions under study.

Results:

It is expected that the database search will begin in August 2020 and be completed in October 2020.

Conclusions:

This scoping review should highlight web-based interventions to promote healthy lifestyles, as well as its components and effects among people aged 65 years and over. It could possibly guide the realization of other studies and new practices.