The Impact of the mAgeing Mobile Program on Loneliness, Depression, and Resilience in Older Adults

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Loneliness and depression are major public health issues among the elderly. Self-management and self-care interventions can enhance resilience and promote well-being. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) mobile-Ageing (mAgeing) program, which delivers daily health messages to older adults, aims to promote healthy aging and strengthen intrinsic capacity and functional ability. This study evaluated the effects of the WHO mAgeing smartphone-based program on loneliness, depression, and resilience among retired education professionals. Methods: This one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental study included 210 older adults aged over 60, recruited through convenience sampling. Participants received daily mAgeing messages and activity instructions via WhatsApp for eight weeks. Loneliness, depressive symptoms, and resilience were measured at baseline, week 8, and week 12 using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale-5 (GDS-5), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) questionnaires. Results: Among participants, 109 (54.8%) were women and 90 (45.2%) were men, with a mean age of 64.68 ± 3.23 years. After the intervention, the mean loneliness score decreased from 46.21 to 41.56, and the mean depression score declined from 1.25 to 0.89. The mean resilience score increased from 43.83 to 47.84. Statistical analyses showed significant reductions in depression and loneliness (p < 0.001) and a significant improvement in resilience and its five components (p < 0.001). Older age, male gender, being widowed or divorced, and a history of illness were negative demographic predictors of loneliness. Older age and male gender also predicted higher depression and lower resilience, whereas higher educational level and time progression positively predicted all three outcomes. Conclusion: The mAgeing program is feasible for use among older adults and can effectively reduce loneliness and depressive symptoms while improving resilience after an eight-week intervention. We emphasize that, given the single-group design, results indicate associations rather than causal effects.