Developing and Evaluating an Educational Program for Respiratory Infection Prevention among Rural Elderly Residents in South Korea

Social cognitive theory-based health promotion in primary care practice: A scoping review

Background

Using a theoretical perspective to guide research design and implementation can result in a coherent preventative intervention model. Among theoretical frameworks, Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) is particularly useful for studies focused on behavior change in health promotion research.

Objective

This scoping review explored and summarized the current evidence on health promotion interventions that integrated constructs of Social Cognitive Theory and the outcome of those interventions in primary care settings.

Method

ology: We conducted this scoping review using the PRISMA scoping review guidelines; we reviewed articles from five electronic databases and additional sources that were peer-reviewed journal articles reporting interventions applying SCT constructs and synthesized the outcomes following the interventions.

Results

Among 849 retrieved from multiple sources, 39 articles met our eligibility criteria. Most studies (n = 19) were conducted in the United States. Twenty-six studies followed a randomized control trial design. Most studies (n = 26) recruited participants utilizing the primary care network. All 39 studies mentioned "self-efficacy" as the most utilized construct of SCT to determine how behavior change operates, followed by "observational learning" through role models. Twenty-three studies integrated individual (face-to-face) or peered group-based counseling-training programs; eight interventions used telephonic health coaching by a specialist; eight studies used audio-visual mediums. All included studies reported positive health outcomes following the intervention, including increased self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, increased Knowledge of dietary intake, high-risk behaviors such as STIs transmission, adapting to a healthy lifestyle, and adherence to post-transplant medication.

Conclusion

Current evidence suggests that SCT-based interventions positively impact health outcomes and intervention effectiveness. The results of this study indicate the importance of incorporating and assessing several conceptual structures of behavioral theories when planning any primary care health promotion practice.

Understanding online health information seeking behavior of older adults: A social cognitive perspective

Introduction

Online health information seeking has been verified to play a crucial role in improving public health and has received close scholarly attention. However, the seeking behavior of older adults, especially the underlying mechanism through which they are motivated to seek health information online, remains unclear. This study addresses the issue by proposing a theoretical model leveraging social cognitive theory.

Methods

IT self-efficacy and IT innovativeness were identified as personal factors and professional support and social support were identified as environmental factors. We conducted a survey that included 347 older people in China and examined the research hypotheses with a structural equation model.

Results

IT self-efficacy and IT innovativeness facilitate older adults to seek health information online by increasing their perceived benefit of using the internet. Additionally, professional support and social support enhanced older adults' online seeking behavior by promoting their health awareness. We also found that perceived benefit displayed a stronger impact than health awareness on older adults' behavior related to searching for health information online.

Conclusion

This study reveals that IT self-efficacy, IT innovativeness, professional support, and social support will promote older adults to seek health information online by enhancing their health awareness and perceived benefit. The findings of this study provide significant theoretical and practical implications.

Respiratory Infections Prevention in Rural Older Adults: An Interventional Study

Respiratory tract infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in older adults. This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on respiratory infections prevention (RIP) in rural older adults. The study sample composed of 80 older adults from a rural area, randomly assigned into two groups. The intervention group (n = 40) received ten 1-hour twice-weekly sessions and the control group (n = 40) received no intervention. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were done using measures of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding RIP. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, independent samples t-test, and paired t-test were used for data analysis. The study findings showed that the study intervention resulted in statistically significant improvements in the intervention group's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding RIP compared with the control group (p < .01). The educational intervention was effective and could be used to help rural older adults prevent respiratory infections.

Impact of educational interventions on the prevention of influenza: A systematic review

Introduction

Seasonal influenza, a contagious viral disease affecting the upper respiratory tract, circulates annually, causing considerable morbidity and mortality. The present study investigates the effectiveness of educational interventions to prevent influenza.

Methods

We searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) for relevant clinical studies up to March 1 2022. The following terms were used: "influenza," "flu," "respiratory infection," "prevent," "intervention," and "education."

Results

Out of 255 studies, 21 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria and were included in our study: 13 parallel randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies, two cross-over RCT studies, two cohort studies, and four quasi-experimental studies. A total of approximately 12,500 adults (18 years old or above) and 11,000 children were evaluated. Educational sessions and reminders were the most common interventions. The measured outcomes were vaccination rates, the incidence of respiratory tract infection (RTI), and preventive behaviors among participants. Eighteen out of 21 articles showed a significant association between educational interventions and the outcomes.

Conclusions

The included studies in the current systematic review reported the efficacy of health promotion educational interventions in improving knowledge about influenza, influenza prevention behaviors, vaccination rates, and decreased RTI incidence regardless of the type of intervention and the age of cases.

Low muscle mass, low muscle function, and sarcopenia in the urban and rural elderly

Health outcomes of the elderly vary between rural and urban areas. Sarcopenia is diagnosed as loss of muscle strength or impaired physical performance, namely "low muscle function" and low muscle mass. Outcomes of low muscle mass and low muscle function are not equal. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of low muscle mass, low muscle function, and sarcopenia in rural and urban populations and to determine whether regional differences were associated with each of these components. Participants aged ≥ 69 years (n = 2354) were recruited from three urban districts and one rural district in Korea. Low muscle mass was defined by appendicular lean mass using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Low muscle function was defined by handgrip strength and 5-chair stand test. Sarcopenia was defined as low muscle mass plus low muscle function. The prevalence of low muscle function (53.7% vs. 72.8%), and sarcopenia (16.3% vs. 24.4%) were higher in the rural elderly population. Rural residence was associated with low muscle function (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.13-2.37, P = 0.009), but not with low muscle mass (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.22-1.54, P = 0.271) or with sarcopenia (OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.63-2.00, P = 0.683). Interventions to detect and improve low muscle function in rural elderly population are needed.

Effectiveness of educational interventions in knowledge, attitude, and practice for preventing respiratory infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

to demonstrate the effectiveness of educational interventions in knowledge, attitude and practice for preventing respiratory infections in adults and older adults.

METHODS

this is a systematic review carried out in 11 databases. Primary studies, without language and time restrictions, of the randomized, non-randomized and before-and-after clinical trial type, were selected. The risk of bias was assessed by two independent researchers, and the methodological quality was generated by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.

RESULTS

the intervention effectiveness was evidenced in seven studies. The results of the random effects meta-analysis show that there is a statistically significant difference between knowledge about preventing respiratory diseases, with an OR of 2.82 (95%CI 1.70 to 4.69) for the occurrence of events represented by improved knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

most studies show the effectiveness of educational interventions, which was determined through the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice survey.

A Systematic Review for Effective Preventive Public Education of Respiratory Infection

The present study aimed to systematically review to find the best available evidence on the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical interventions that have been used in the community so far. Through eight electronic journal database, 9 articles met our inclusion Participants, Intervention, Control, Outcomes, and Study Design (PICOS) criteria based on medical symptoms, interventions, and improvements. In general, interventions included hand hygiene, mask use, health education such as cough etiquette, hand washing and sanitizer methods. In addition, exercise and meditation were performed to improve immunity. As a result, the number of incidents and absences related to respiratory infections were reduced, the frequency and method of handwashing improved, and there were also positive effects in knowledge, attitude/perception, and performance. We concluded that it is necessary to create an environment and systematic support so that organizations or governments can determine healthy behavior at the same time as an individual approach. Furthermore, the follow-up for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and the monitoring period should be included during the study, consequently resulting in having an opportunity to continuously remind people about health behavior. The community provides information on various types of non-pharmaceutical intervention to maintain healthy management and lifestyles in the public.