Online Interactive Courses on Loneliness and Quality of Life of Older Adults

Yang Shang-Yu

Status

Completed

Conditions

Older Adults

Treatments

Other: Online Interactive Courses

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT05007600

CRREC-109-088

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background:

The early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic can be marked as a critical period in human history as it increased loneliness in people's lives. This is particularly true for the older adults who are single, living alone, and suffering from chronic diseases. However, there is insufficient existing research on associated interventions and their effectiveness.

Objectives:

To investigate the effectiveness of an 8-week online interactive course on the loneliness, depression, social support, and quality of life (QOL) of older adults in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

This pilot study, also a single-blind randomized controlled trial, collected data from a community in central Taiwan. Participants were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group received an 8-week intensive (Monday to Friday) online interactive course, whereas those in the control group consumed 8 weeks of unidirectional online video and audio programs (such as from YouTube). Assessments were conducted both before and after the intervention, with the primary outcome being the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA), and secondary outcomes being the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior (ISSB) Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale.

Enrollment

89 patients

Sex

All

Ages

65 to 88 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

(1) senior residents aged over 60 years, those who were not diagnosed with any cognitive impairment;
(2) capable of communicating in Mandarin or Taiwanese; and
(3) capable of using smartphones.

Exclusion criteria

(1) participants who could not fully complete the 8-week intervention (or participate in the course for at least three days per week); and
(2) those who were incapable of understanding the content of the questionnaire.