Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Dec 19, 2022
Date Accepted: Aug 31, 2023
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
A Digital Gaming Intervention to Strengthen the Social Networks of Dutch Older Adults: Process Evaluation of a Randomized Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
With the digitalization of society and increasing loneliness due to population aging, the potential for digital loneliness interventions is growing. This article describes the mixed methods process evaluation of a digitally conducted randomized controlled trial, evaluating a mobile gaming application newly designed to improve the social connectedness of community-dwelling older adults.
Objective:
This paper aims to evaluate a social gaming application in community-dwelling older adults through a mixed-methods process evaluation of a digitally conducted randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Methods:
The RCT compared two gaming conditions with a control group. We included adults aged 65 years and over. The process evaluation involved a focus group and semi-structured interviews with the RCT participants and welfare organizations to explore barriers and facilitators for app usage and gameplay and analyzed questionnaire adherence, game engagement, network measures, and retention.
Results:
Of the 372 people who signed up for the RCT, 76 adults installed the app and signed informed consent, of whom 33 were 65+. The baseline completion rate of questionnaires was 36%, rapidly declining during follow-up. Participants experienced the app differently, varying from engaging to too simple or too complex. Participants suggested challenging and competitive games with increasing difficulty levels. Repeated instruction and in-person and personal contact were deemed essential to reach and engage the intended population.
Conclusions:
Conducting a digital trial of a social gaming intervention for older adults is a great challenge. Evaluation of future digital gaming interventions should start with small-scale studies with personal contact and fewer questionnaires. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04733898
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