Self-management, Health Literacy and Social Capital in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Older Adults

Summary

Motivations:

Socio-economic and education determinants have a big impact on health outcomes, in terms of worse health status in populations living in more disadvantaged conditions. Social capital, self-management and health literacy are some of the intermediate determinants, with the potential to mitigate health inequalities through interventions driven by local health agents. These three determinants are intensely interlinked and have, separately, impacts on self-perceived health. Social capital is defined in this project as an umbrella concept, which includes quantitative aspects of social resources (structural social capital: social networks and contacts, social and civic participation) as well as qualitative or subjective aspects (cognitive social capital: perceived social support, feeling of belonging and trust) and covers relations between subjects at a micro or individual level (family and friends) as well as at a macro or community level. Health literacy is understood as cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health. Both are key aspects for self-management behaviours. The target of our research project are older people living in urban socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, since ageing is in itself an inequality axis and urban environments concentrate the highest health disparities.

Objectives: With the aim to reduce health inequality, an intervention has been designed to promote self-management, health literacy and social capital among older people who perceived their health as fair or poor and are living in urban socioeconomically disadvantaged areas with the aim of improving their self-perceived health. Secondarily, the efficacy of the intervention will be analysed in terms of increasing self-management, health literacy and social capital (social support and social participation), quality of life, mental health and healthy lifestyles.

In third place, behavioural health patterns will be identified in relation to health literacy, social capital, gender, socioeconomic and educational level, and they will be linked to the intervention efficacy levels.

Conditions

• Health Status Disparities
• Subjective Health
• Self Care
• Social Capital
• Health Literacy
• Aging

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Program "Sentirnos bien" (Feeling well)

Group-based intervention delivered face-to face and held once a week during 3 months. It comprises: 1. Promoting the uptake of self-care healthy habits: providing information, setting personal goals and sharing experiences to facilitate behavioural change, specially on physical activity and healthy dietary habits. 2. Promoting social capital at individual level: facilitating mutual knowledge and mutual support among participants and fostering participation in sociocultural and community activities in the neighbourhood through visits to the community assets accompanied by volunteers. 3. Promoting health literacy: improving navigation through the health care system, communication with health professionals, as well as the understanding and decision making when buying food.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Recercaixa

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Equip Atencio Primaria Sardenya

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Fundacio Salut i Envelliment UAB

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Laura Coll-Planas, MD · Fundació Salut i Envelliment UAB

• Sergi Blancafort, PhD · Fundació Salut i Envelliment UAB

• Rosa Monteserin, MD PhD · Equipo Atencio Primaria Sardenya

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-01-31

Primary Completion

2017-05-31