Seojin Yun, Seulgi Lee, Eun Young Lee, Kirang Kim
This study evaluated the effects of an information and communication technology-based, interaction-oriented community care service (Touch Care service) on the nutritional status and dietary behaviors of community-dwelling older adults. It integrated internet of things-based daily life monitoring, wearable devices, and AI voice interaction, providing personalized health feedback and notifications over an approximately 5-month intervention period. A total of 102 residents aged ≥65 years from Bugang-myeon, Sejong, were recruited, and 72 participants－33 and 39 in the case and control groups, respectively－who completed both pre- and post-assessments were finally analyzed. The case group received Touch Care; nutritional status was ascertained based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and dietary behaviors were evaluated via a simplified questionnaire on food group and daily meal frequencies, and water intake. At baseline, there were no significant between-group differences in any outcome measure. Following the intervention, the MNA score (P=0.020) and daily water intake (P<0.001) increased significantly from baseline in the intervention group, whereas no significant within-group changes were observed in food group intake frequency or meal frequency. In the control group, no significant changes were observed in any outcome measure. When the magnitude of change was compared between groups, the differences were not statistically significant for either MNA score (P=0.448) or daily water intake (P=0.849). These findings suggest that Touch Care service was feasible to deliver and acceptable to community-dwelling older adults, suggesting that conversational digital interventions may be worth evaluating as a complement to existing community care models.