Technology-based interventions on burden of older adults' informal caregivers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of technologies are provided to reduce the burden of older adults' informal caregivers. However, less is known about the effects and the mechanism of technology to work on burden. This review is to evaluate the effectiveness of technology-based interventions (TBI) in alleviating the burden of older adults' informal caregivers and to distinguish its effective mechanism via group disparities. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials studies (RCTs) has been conducted. Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, WANFANG, CNKI, CQVIP databases, Cochrane Library Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for trial studies and registry in both English and Chinese published from January 1990 to October 2022. Reviewers independently screened the articles and trials, conducted quality assessments, and extracted the data. All processes were guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Risk of bias of the studies was evaluated by the Cochrane Systematic Review Handbook. The meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.13. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, publication bias were also conducted. RESULTS: A total of 11,095 RCTs were initially screened, and 14 trials representing 1010 informal caregivers were included finally. This review proved TBI effective in reducing caregiving burden older adults. Subgroup analysis showed effects of TBI differed by interventions on control group and medical conditions of care recipients. CONCLUSION: TBI is an effective way to alleviate the burden on informal caregivers of aging people. Interventions for control groups and medical conditions of care-recipients are significant factors in effective interventions. Future researches could include more trials with high-quality or to explore more targeted aging groups, modalities of TBI, or caregiver outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO [CRD42021277865].

The Effectiveness of Plaza Dancing on Psychological Well-Being and Ill-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Evidence suggests that participation in plaza dancing may affect mental health. This study for the first time quantified the relationships between plaza dancing and psychological well-being and ill-being. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP to identify relevant studies published from the databases since their inception to July 25, 2021. The standardized mean differences (SMDs) of pre-to-post intervention data were calculated in the meta-analysis. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to test the potential moderating effects of age, outcome classification, measurement instruments, district, publication year, total sample size, and the duration, frequency, and length of the square dance intervention. A total of 25 original articles met all the eligibility criteria and were included in the review, and 17 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that plaza dancing improved psychological well-being (pooled SMD = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.95; I 2 = 86.9%) and reduced psychological ill-being (pooled SMD = -0.84; 95% CI: -1.00, -0.68; I 2 = 64.8%). The study participants' age and district did not seem to affect the effectiveness of the plaza dancing intervention. The duration and frequency of plaza dancing affected the association between square dance and psychological well-being (duration, ß = -0.044; 95% CI: -0.085, -0.004; frequency, ß = 0.122; 95% CI: 0.024, 0.221) and psychological ill-being (duration, ß = -0.029; 95% CI: -0.040, -0.018; frequency, ß = 0.154; 95% CI: 0.030, 0.278). Plaza dancing has a significant positive effect on psychological well-being and psychological ill-being, and the effects are moderated by intervention modality. Generalizing plaza dancing interventions to promote psychological well-being and prevent or treat psychological ill-being is needed. Systematic Review Registration: [www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero], identifier [CRD42021272016].