OITO — Portugal's Eight-Workshop Smartphone Course for Adults 55+, Tested With a Pre/Post Design

OITO (Oficinas de Inclusão Tecnológica Online) is a guided digital-inclusion course from the University of Minho School of Medicine for community-dwelling adults aged 55 and over. Participants attend eight 1.5-hour in-person workshops on their own smartphones or tablets, covering email, WhatsApp, camera and gallery, Google Photos, YouTube and Google Fit. The method adapts the 'Oficina da Lembrança' approach originally built for older adults with mild cognitive impairment. It was delivered through local partners in three municipalities: the Couração project in Paredes de Coura, Vida Feliz in Guimarães and the municipal library in Barcelos.
It was tested in a quasi-experimental study (May 2021–January 2022) with 87 enrolled and 81 completers, mostly women (67%), aged 65–74 (59%), with primary education only (44%) and retired (91%). Digital proficiency averaged 16.9/40 at baseline and 19.4/40 after the workshops, an adjusted gain of about 2.5 points (p<.001) that held at one-month follow-up. Health literacy showed no significant change.
Feasibility was reported as 81% recruitment, 53% adherence and 94% satisfaction. The authors acknowledge the lack of a control group and the use of a convenience sample. A project manual has been deposited in the University of Minho repository so other municipalities can replicate the format. Evidence is honest but modest: a small, short-term effect on one of two targeted outcomes, in a self-selected sample, with no data yet on lasting use or on scaling beyond three municipalities.

Read the full analysis: https://repositorium.uminho.pt/entities/publication/01f08b69-4486-45a7-8e27-b8a2d29a8e9d