Effects of Health Education Programs for the Elders in Community Care Centers - Evaluated by Health Promotion Behaviors

SummaryBackgroundTaiwan is an aging society by the definition of the World Health Organization. The trend of elder population is one of the fastest worldwide. The Taiwan Foundation for Geriatric Emergency and Critical Care dedicates to disseminate health promotion behaviors for community elders and middle age adults. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects and satisfaction of the health education programs on health promotion behaviors.MethodsA one-group pretest-posttest study was conducted using purposively sampling of participants of the health education programs at five community care centers in the great Taipei metropolitan area. A structure questionnaire was developed to collect data. SPSS 20.0 was used in statistical analysis.ResultsAbove 40% of 136 participants were either overweight or obesity. Comparing pretest and posttest scores, the changes in mentality, perceived health, physical exercise, and blood pressure measurement were significant (p < 0.05). The overall satisfaction with the health education programs was high (3.62). It was found the correlation between marital status and perceived health was positive (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe health education programs specifically for elders and middle age adults in community care centers were effective in raising the awareness of health promotion behaviors. The success could provide a reference for future studies developing health promotion and education programs and holistic care for community elders and middle age adults in Taiwan.