The effect of health promotion training provided to elderly individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic on healthy lifestyle behaviors

Abstract

Background: One of the areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is health promotion. In order to improve the quality of life of elderly individuals, it is important to develop and implement effective intervention strategies that can prevent negative health outcomes. Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of health promotion training provided to elderly individuals on healthy lifestyle behaviors. Methods: This study was conducted as a randomized-controlled experimental study. The study was completed with 140 elderly individuals over 65 years of age, including 70 participants in intervention group and 70 participants in control group. The data were collected using the Information Form and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-I. Training was provided to the intervention group as one session a week for three weeks. Percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation as well as chi-square, dependent samples t-test, and independent samples t-test were used to assess the data. Findings: While the pretest mean score of the intervention group for the overall Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-I was 103.90 ± 16.96, their posttest mean score was 136.17 ± 19.60 and it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the results ( p = 0.000). While the pretest mean score of the control group for the overall Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-I was 107.22 ± 21.09, their posttest mean score was 106.57 ± 21.49 and it was found that there was no statistically significant difference between the results ( p = 0.609). Conclusion: It was observed that healthy lifestyle behaviors of elderly individuals in the intervention group improved positively.