Browsing by Author "Sousa, Rute Dinis de"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Home-based intervention program to reduce food insecurity in elderly populations using a TV app: study protocol of the randomized controlled trial Saúde.Come SeniorPublication . Rodrigues, Ana Maria; Gregório, Maria João; Gein, Pierre; Eusébio, Mónica; Santos, Maria José; Sousa, Rute Dinis de; Coelho, Pedro S.; Mendes, Jorge M.; Graça, Pedro; Oliveira, Pedro; Branco, Jaime C.; Canhão, HelenaBackground: The limited or uncertain access to adequate food in elderly people includes not only economic restrictions but also inability of food utilization due to functional or cognitive impairment, health problems, and illiteracy. Objective: The aim of this work is to present the protocol of the randomized controlled trial Sande.Come Senior, an educational and motivational television (TV)-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles and decrease food insecurity in elderly people. Methods: A randomized controlled study will be conducted in subjects aged 60 years and older with food insecurity, identified at 17 primary care centers in the Lisboa e Vale do Tejo health region in Lisbon, Portugal. The primary outcome will be the changes in participants' food insecurity score (evaluated by the Household Food Insecurity Scale) at 3 months Change in other outcomes will be assessed (dietary habits, nutritional status, physical activity, health status, and clinical outcomes). Subjects will be followed over 6 months; the intervention will last 3 months Data collection will be performed at 3 different time points (baseline, end of intervention at 3 months, and follow-up at 6 months) The intervention is based on an interactive TV app with an educational and motivational program specifically developed for the elderly that has weekly themes and includes daily content in video format: (1) nutrition and diet tips for healthy eating, (2) healthy, easy to cook and low-cost recipes, and (3) physical exercise programs. Furthermore, brief reminders on health behaviors will also be broadcasted through the TV app. The total duration of the study will be 6 months. The intervention is considered to be effective and meaningful if 50% of the individuals in the experimental group have a decrease of 1 point in the food insecurity score, all the remaining being unchanged. We expect to include and randomize 282 (141 experimental and 141 control) elderly with food insecurity. We will recruit a total of 1,128 subjects considering that 50% of the target individuals are food insecure (based on INFOFAMILIA Survey) (567) and about 50% of those will adhere to the study (282). Results: The randomized controlled trial with the 12-week home-based intervention with a comprehensive program on healthy eating and physical activity delivery is planned to start recruiting participants at the end of 2017. Conclusions: This study will assess the efficacy of this innovative tool (Sande.Come Senior) for disseminating relevant health information, modifying behaviors, and decreasing food insecurity in an easy, low-cost, and massive way.
- A video-based mobile app as a health literacy tool for older adults living at home: protocol for a utility studyPublication . Nunes-da-Silva, Catarina; Victorino, André; Lemos, Marta; Porojan, Ludmila; Costa, Andreia; Arriaga, Miguel; Gregório, Maria João; Sousa, Rute Dinis de; Rodrigues, Ana Maria; Canhão, HelenaBackground: People aged ≥65 years are more likely to have health problems related to aging, polypharmacy, and low treatment adherence. Moreover, health literacy levels decrease with increasing age. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess an app’s utility in promoting health-related knowledge in people aged ≥65 years. Methods: We developed a simple, intuitive, and video-based app (DigiAdherence) that presents a recipe, nutritional counseling, and content on physical activity, cognitive exercise, motivation to adhere to treatment, fall prevention, and health literacy. A convenience sample of 25 older adults attending the Personalized Health Care Unit of Portimão or the Family Health Unit of Portas do Arade (ACeS Algarve II – Barlavento, ARS Algarve, Portugal) will be recruited. Subjects must be aged ≥65 years, own a smartphone or tablet, be willing to participate, and consent to participate. Those who do not know how to use or do not have a smartphone/tablet will be excluded. Likewise, people with major cognitive or physical impairment as well as those living in a long-term care center will not be included in this study. Participants will have access to the app for 4 weeks and will be evaluated at 3 different timepoints (V0, before they start using the app; V1, after using it for 30 days; and V2, 60 days after stopping using it). After using the app for 30 days, using a 7-point Likert scale, participants will be asked to score the mobile tool’s utility in encouraging them to take their medications correctly, improving quality of life, increasing their health-related knowledge, and preventing falls. They will also be asked to assess the app’s ease of use and visual esthetics, their motivation to use the app, and their satisfaction with the app. Subjects will be assessed in a clinical interview with a semistructured questionnaire, including questions regarding user experience, satisfaction, the utility of the app, quality of life (EQ-5D-3L instrument), and treatment adherence (Morisky scale). The proportion of participants who considered the app useful for their health at V1 and V2 will be analyzed. Regarding quality of life and treatment adherence perceptions, comparisons will be made between V0 and V1, using the t test for dependent samples. The same comparisons will be made between V0 and V2. Results: This study was funded in December 2019 and authorized by the Executive Board of ACeS Algarve II – Barlavento and by the Ethics Committee of NOVA Medical School (99/2019/CEFCM, June 2020). This protocol was also approved by the Ethics Committee for Health (16/2020, September 2020) and the Executive Board (December 2020) of the Regional Health Administration of the Algarve, IP (Instituto Público). Recruitment was completed in June 2021. Conclusions: Since the next generation of older adults may have higher digital literacy, information and communication technologies could potentially be used to deliver health-related content to improve lifestyles among older adults.