The Text4HealthyAging Program: An Evidence-Based Text Messaging Innovation to Support Healthy Urban Aging in Canada and Australia

Ejemai Eboreime; Arto Ohinmaa; Benjamin Rusak; Keri-Leigh Cassidy; Jason Morrison; Patrick McGrath; Rudolf Uher; Sandra Meier; Marie-Josee Fleury; Srividya N Iyer; Soham Rej; Frances Batchelor; Pazit Levinger; Christa Dang; Malcolm Hopwood; Francis N L Acquah; Janet Dzator; Gail Tomblin Murphy; Jordan Warford; Lori Wozney; Isabelle Vedel; Jacqueline Gahagan; Olga Theou; Prosper Koto; Tara Sampalli; Susan Kirkland; Nicholas Watters; Vincent I O Agyapong

doi:10.1177/23337214221081378

The Text4HealthyAging Program: An Evidence-Based Text Messaging Innovation to Support Healthy Urban Aging in Canada and Australia

Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2022 Mar 1:8:23337214221081378. doi: 10.1177/23337214221081378. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.

Authors

Ejemai Eboreime¹, Arto Ohinmaa², Benjamin Rusak^{3

4}, Keri-Leigh Cassidy³, Jason Morrison³, Patrick McGrath^{3

5}, Rudolf Uher³, Sandra Meier³, Marie-Josee Fleury⁶, Srividya N Iyer⁶, Soham Rej⁶, Frances Batchelor⁷, Pazit Levinger⁷, Christa Dang⁷, Malcolm Hopwood⁸, Francis N L Acquah⁹, Janet Dzator¹⁰, Gail Tomblin Murphy¹¹, Jordan Warford¹¹, Lori Wozney¹¹, Isabelle Vedel¹², Jacqueline Gahagan¹³, Olga Theou^{14

15}, Prosper Koto¹¹, Tara Sampalli¹¹, Susan Kirkland^{14

16}, Nicholas Watters¹⁷, Vincent I O Agyapong³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
² School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
⁴ Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
⁵ IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada.
⁷ National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁹ Positive Wellness Recovery Centre, VIC, Australia.
¹⁰ Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle, Australia.
¹¹ Mental Health and Addictions, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada.
¹² Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
¹³ Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
¹⁴ Geriatric Medicine Research, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada.
¹⁵ School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
¹⁶ Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
¹⁷ Mental Health Commission of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Age-friendly cities are crucial to achieve the WHO goal of healthy aging. Such cities promote opportunities for health, participation, and security, thus enhancing quality of life as people age. Older people commonly experience psychosocial challenges such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, loss of autonomy, grief, fear, and loneliness. Australian and Canadian cities continue to seek innovation to improve healthy urban aging and create more age-friendly environments for older adults. There is increasing evidence on the effectiveness and feasibility of mobile technology in health promotion and closing psychological treatment gaps. Older adults have been demonstrated to engage frequently with mobile devices, particularly text messaging. In this article, we conceptualize the Text4HealthyAging, an evidence-based text messaging innovation to support healthy urban aging in Canadian and Australian cities.

Keywords: aging; community; mental health; public health/public policy.