A scoping review of the scientific literature on digital technology for healthy ageing in migrant populations

Healthy ageing in migrant populations

A long and healthy life in migrants involves both healthy ageing and cultural adaptation processes.

i) Optimal balance between losses and gains.

ii) Successful adjustment of skills and knowledge needed to navigate a foreign culture.

iii) Accommodation of health needs and obstacles in a timely and adequate manner.

Digital health and healthy ageing

Digital technologies offer cost-effective alternatives to many of the current barriers to health.

understaffed personnel, concentration of healthcare workers in high-income contexts, insufficient language and cultural skills of healthcare workers, experienced challenges to help-seeking behavior of migrants …

Applications in information management (digitalized records), personal devices (mobile monitoring), telemedicine (remote consultation) etc.

Digital technology proven to contribute to healthy ageing

1. Anticipation of disease through diagnosis of physical (e.g. ECG and gait) and chemical signals (e.g. glucose and pH) in wearable devices.
2. Prolongation of ageing in place through assistive technologies.
3. Facilitated social contact with significant others through ICT.
4. Gerontechnologies as a type of technology designed for the specific purpose of promoting healthy ageing.

…

A general model of vulnerability

flowchart LR

    A["🌍 Ecological Factors<br/>• Culture<br/>• Social norms<br/>• Policies & regulations<br/>• Discrimination<br/>• Health systems"]
    
    B["🧠 Individual Factors<br/>• Mental health<br/>• Cellular changes<br/>• Socioeconomic resources<br/>• Coping & resilience<br/>• Language skills"]

    A <--> B

    D["🏥 Access & Quality of Care<br/>• Healthcare access<br/>• Cultural competence<br/>• Outreach & communication<br/>• Insurance coverage"]

    A --> D
    B --> D

    E["❤️ Individual Health Outcomes<br/>• Healthy ageing<br/>• Functional independence<br/>• Well-being<br/>• Disease risk"]

    F["📊 Population Health Outcomes<br/>• Health disparities<br/>• Unequal prevalence<br/>• System blind spots"]

    D --> E
    D --> F

    G["🚶 Migrant-Specific Challenges<br/>• Cultural mismatch<br/>• Isolation<br/>• Help-seeking barriers<br/>• Unmet expectations"]

    G --> D

Uncertainty remains concerning adoption processes and the effectiveness of digital technologies for healthy ageing in migrant populations.

Scoping review

A scoping review of published research 2010-2026.

Two independent reviewers.

Covidence.org

EBSCO (SocINDEX, MEDLINE)
Ovid (PsycINFO)
PubMed
Web of Science
Scopus
IEEE Xplore
IET Digital Library

(old* OR ageing OR ageing OR senior OR elder*)
AND (migrant OR immigrant OR asylee OR “asylum seeker” OR refugee)
AND (“digital technology” OR “digital platforms” OR “digital care” OR
“digital gam*” OR “digital educational gam*” OR gerontechnology OR
ehealth) AND (adoption OR behavio* OR intention)

(old* OR ageing OR ageing OR senior OR elder*) AND 
(migrant OR immigrant OR asylee OR “asylum seeker” OR refugee) AND
(“digital technology” OR “digital platforms” OR “digital care” OR “digital
gam*” OR “digital educational gam*” OR gerontechnology OR ehealth)
AND (effectiveness OR impact OR consequences OR influence OR benefits OR improvement)

Results

Identified themes

1. obstacles and enablers to technology use and adoption
2. technology as contributing to fulfillment of individual goals and needs
3. technology as contributing to health, well-being and life quality
4. perspectives of health professionals

Persisting knowledge gaps

Reported research is rarely theoretical making it difficult to derive effective interventions and policy.

Lifespan developmental and cross-cultural perspectives are not addressed and yet these are essential in understanding healthy ageing in older migrants.

There are limited data and evidence currently but a growing awareness of population diversity and specifics.

Limitations and future research

Observations stem from the general population of older migrants (a narrow selection of cultural groups!) and older migrants as patients (under-represented!).

Findings are based on convenience samples and therefore the results are not representative.

Inconsistent findings regarding what works and for whom.

No systematic answer regarding factors that promote and discourage the use of digital technology for healthy ageing in migrants.

But, a strong contender is the observation that

when older migrants feel that their needs for social contact are met, using digital (health) technologies contributes more effectively to their healthy ageing.

We’ve created an online series of expert talks and interviews to bridge knowledge gaps between recent scientific findings and the general public.