The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Campbell Collaboration have developed an evidence and gap map to improve understanding of the scope, quantity, and quality of evidence on the use of digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older people.
Click here to access the evidence and gap map. For a brief explanation of how it works, watch the video at the bottom of this page.
Social isolation and loneliness among older people are widespread and harmful. As many as 1 in 3 older people are affected by social isolation and loneliness, which shorten older people’s lives, damage their mental and physical health, and reduce their quality of life.
COVID-19-related measures such as physical distancing have increased reliance on digital technologies to reduce social isolation and loneliness, including among older people. However, more research is needed to guide decision makers on which digital interventions are proven to work.
Evidence and gap maps are tools that help researchers and decision makers more easily discover existing evidence on a given topic, find solutions supported by evidence and identify gaps in the evidence where more research is needed.
The new evidence and gap map on digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults shows that:
- There is a large quantity of evidence on this subject
- Most reviews (which summarise the findings of multiple studies) are of low quality
- Most research focused only on a few types of interventions (videoconferencing and telephone calls; socially assistive robots and virtual pets)
- Most research comes from high-income countries
Developing evidence and gap maps is part of WHO’s ongoing contribution to strengthen data, research, and innovation in the context of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030). This work aims to integrate evidence use more deeply in policies and practices aimed at improving the lives of current and future generations of older people, their families, and communities.
Click here to register for the Campbell webinar, “Digital technologies for reducing social isolation and loneliness in older adults”, on Tuesday, 29 November.
Click here to go to the WHO web hub on evidence and gap maps for the Decade of Healthy Ageing.