Empowering the older people on self-care to improve self-efficacy based on Pender's health promotion model: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Aging is a critical phase of human, necessitating focused attention on the unique issues, needs, and diseases that older adults face. Self-efficacy has been recognized as a fundamental prerequisite for behavior change in health promotion and health education. Therefore, the present study was aimed to empower older people to improve their self-efficacy based on Pender's health promotion model.

Methods: His randomized clinical trial was conducted with 64 older adults (32 in the intervention group and 32 in the control group) who were referred to health centers in Kermanshah and selected by cluster sampling. Empowerment interventions were implemented over six sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, for the older adults, along with two additional sessions for their families. Training was conducted using various strategies aligned with the constructs of Pender's Health Promotion Model, including perceived barriers, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, activity-related affect, interpersonal influences, and situational influences. Data were collected at two time points: prior to the intervention and four weeks post-intervention, utilizing Sherer's General Self-Efficacy Scale and a demographic checklist. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.

Results: The mean age of the older adults in the intervention group was 66.63±6.84 years, while in the control group, it was 65.25±7.07 years. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference in self-efficacy score between the groups (intervention: 53.09±16.18; control: 55.59±7.33; P>0.01). After the intervention, the intervention group's the self-efficacy score of the intervention group (68.87±10.27) was significantly higher than that of the control group (54.96±5.67; (P˂0.01).

Conclusion: Empowerment interventions based on the Pender's health promotion model significantly increased self-efficacy among older adults. Given the importance of self-efficacy in lifestyle changes, implementing these interventions in health centers, clinics, and nursing homes can effectively prevent future issues faced by older adults.