Effect of Health Promotion Interventions in Active Aging in the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Active aging has been the paradigm of the old-age lifestyle. Integrated aging care interventions in health centers primarily focus on diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, depression, and cardiovascular diseases, and there is no program or training regarding active aging. This study was carried out from September to December 2021 to determine the effectiveness of an intervention program to promote active aging in the elderly referred to Mashhad health centers. METHODS: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60 elderly individuals without disabling diseases and cognitive impairment who presented to the Daneshamooz health center in Mashhad in 2021. Through a simple block allocation scheme, those who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the health promotion program during 6 sessions (one session per week) about nutrition, physical activity, responsibility, stress management, communications, and spiritual aspects. The data were gathered using the active aging questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS software version 25; independent and paired t-test, Wilcoxon, and Mann-Whitney U tests were utilized. P value< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrated that after the intervention, the total active aging score in the intervention group increased significantly (68.5±3 to 85±8.25) (P<0.001) and there was a significant difference between the control and intervention groups (68±3.25 to 85±8.25) (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results, training based on a health-enhancement approach can effectively promote active aging in the elderly. Therefore, more attention should be paid to strategic planning for active aging in health centers. Trial Registration Number: IRCT20210308050639N