The effect of a healthy lifestyle program on the elderly's health in Arak

Evaluation of a self-care education program for older adults in Iran using a lifestyle improvement model

BACKGROUND

Older adults and their caregivers often believe it is either too late or too difficult to make health-focused lifestyle changes. However, this is inaccurate, as older adults can make health promotion focused lifestyle changes thereby improving their health. This study developed and evaluated a self-care education program using Pender's Health Promotion Model and its influence on health-focused behaviour changes among older Iranians.

METHOD

This was a quasi-experimental study with a convenience sample of 136 community-living older adults from Tabriz, Iran. The participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (n = 69) or control (n = 67) group. Chi-square test, independent t tests and Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) statistical methods were used to compare pre- and post-intervention data, control and intervention groups and changes over time. The intervention was an eight-week educational program with pre- and post-intervention data collected using the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) questionnaire.

RESULTS

The mean difference and confidence limits of the older adults' health behaviours pre- and post-intervention scores were 2.228 (-5.450 - 9.916) and - 35.820 (-32.051 - 39.588). The covariance analysis adjusting for the baseline values showed significant differences post-intervention (p<0.0001) in the areas of interpersonal communication, physical activity, nutrition, stress management and spiritual growth.

CONCLUSION

The health promotion education intervention illustrated that older Iranians could improve their health outcomes in several areas. Thus, culturally tailored intervention programs can be successful in challenging the opinion that older adults cannot make behaviour changes supporting their health.

Improvement in oral health related quality of life among the elderly: a randomized controlled trial

Background

The present study was conducted to determine the impact of educational intervention based on adult learning theory on oral health related quality of life of the elderly.

Materials and methods

This study (IRCT20120910010804N13) was performed with 92 elderly patients referred to the dental clinic of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of medical sciences. Participants were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The data were gathered by a questionnaire with demographic variables, variables of oral health related quality of the elderly, and variables for assessing the effectiveness of adult learning theory. Following pre-test, educational programs were conducted for the interventional group. After 1 month, the questionnaire was again administered to both groups. Next, the results of pre-test and post-test were analyzed using SPSS-23 at a significance level of 0.05.

Results

Educational intervention was significant in terms of overall oral health related quality of life and the overall effectiveness score of adult learning theory (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean change score of three physical, psychosocial, and pain dimensions following the educational intervention (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Education based on adult learning theory is recommended for improving oral health related quality of life among the elderly.

Trial registration

Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT20120910010804N13. Registered on 2018-12-16.

https://www.irct.ir/trial/35239

Health-related quality of life, handgrip strength and falls during detraining in elderly habitual exercisers

BACKGROUND

The effects of regular exercise on physical functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been thoroughly studied. In contrast, little is known about the changes which occur following cessation of activity (detraining). Here, we have investigated the effect of a 3 month detraining period on HRQOL and on handgrip strength in elderly people who had regularly exercised, and examined the association of these variables with falls.

METHODS

Thirty-eight women and 11 men (mean age, 75.5±5.7 years) took part in a supervised physical exercise program for 9 months, followed by a 3 month detraining period. Participants completed the SF-36 HRQOL questionnaire at the beginning of detraining (baseline) and 3 months later. Handgrip strength and number of falls were also recorded.

RESULTS

Participants had been exercising for 12.1±8.7 years. After the detraining period, we found a significant (p < 0.001--0.05) decline in all SF-36 dimensions, with the exception of handgrip strength. Women presented a larger decline (p < 0.05) in more items than men. During the detraining period, 18.4% participants had a fall incident. HRQOL declined in both fallers and non-fallers during detraining. Interestingly, fallers already had at baseline significantly lower values in physical functioning (p < 0.05), emotional role (p < 0.05) and mental health (p < 0.01), than non-fallers.

CONCLUSIONS

An important decline was found in most items of the SF-36 following a 3 month detraining period, particularly in women. In contrast, strength of the upper limb was not affected by the detraining. The prior lower HRQOL values of those who will subsequently fall suggest that this criterion should be studied as a candidate risk factor for falls. Efforts should be made to encourage the elderly to continue with exercise activities and/or to shorten holiday break periods, in order to maintain their quality of life.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The protocol was registered as a clinical trial in the ANZCTR (trial ID: ACTRN12617000716369 ).

Lifestyle of the employees working in hamadan public sectors: application of the trans-theoretical model

BACKGROUND

A healthy lifestyle is a valuable source to reduce the prevalence of health problems, and promoteehealth.

OBJECTIVES

The current study aimed to evaluate the lifestyle and obesity status of Hamadan public employees and their status based on the trans-theoretical model (TTM).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This analytical cross-sectional study was performed in 2014 on 1200 public employees in Hamadan city, Iran selected through proportional stratified random sampling. Data collection was performed using a three-section questionnaire including demographic characteristics, The FANTASTIC lifestyle questionnaire, and the five-part algorithm. Data were analyzed by SPSS-20 using linear regression, Chi-square, Fisher exact test, and ANOVA.

RESULTS

The mean age of the employees was 38.12 ± 8.04 years. Most of the employees (61.7%) had favorable lifestyle. About half of the employees were at the preparation stage of TTM. Most of the employees were in a poor condition regarding the physical activity and healthy eating habits. In most of the evaluated items, females got higher scores than males. The associations between lifestyle and age, gender, work experience, income satisfaction, and marital status were significant. Moreover, the associations between obesity and work experience, marital status, number of offspring, and gender were significant (P < 0. 05). Significant predicting variables of obesity were age and work experience; they explained 31.2% variance of obesity (adjusted R(2) = 0.312, R(2) change = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Planning health education interventions for employees through effective approaches seems necessary.

Aging, Gender and Quality of Life (AGEQOL) study: factors associated with good quality of life in older Brazilian community-dwelling adults

BACKGROUND

In Brazil, a rapidly aging country suffering from large inequalities, the study of the quality of life (QOL) of aged people is important for the future health. The aim of this study was to examine the associations among QOL, gender, and physical and psychosocial health in older Brazilian community-dwelling adults to identify factors that are associated with better QOL.

METHODS

The "Aging, Gender and Quality of Life (AGEQOL)" study, which included 2,052 respondents aged 60 or older, was conducted in Sete Lagoas, Brazil between January and July 2012. The respondents answered questions regarding their socioeconomic and demographic information, health and social situations, cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms and family satisfaction. The authors also applied the Brazilian version the World Health Organization Quality of Life QOL Assessment-Brief Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-Old). Ordinal logistic regression with the Proportional-Odds and Logit function was used to test the association between QOL and physical and psychosocial health according to age and socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

Older adults of both genders with five or more years of education, good self-rated health, an absence of depressive symptoms, and no family dysfunction reported better QOL. Retired men had a better QOL compared to non-retired men (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.4-3.2), but this association was not observed in females. Men living in mixed arrangements (OR = 0.5; p = 0.033) and women who did not practice physical activity (OR = 0.7; p = 0.022) tended to have poorer QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that there are gender differences related to better QOL in this sample. Women with good physical and psychosocial health are more likely to have a better QOL. For men, the best QOL was associated with high socioeconomic conditions and good physical and psychosocial health.