• A Zabalegui, M A Escobar, E Cabrera, M P Gual, M Fortuny, G Mach, M Ginesti, and P Narbona.
• Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
• Aten Primaria. 2006 Mar 31; 37 (5): 260-5.

ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy over 12 months of the educational programme on self-care of the elderly (PECA), which covers quality of life, nutritional status, and perceived social support of people over 65 living in their own homes.DesignPre-test/post-test experimental study with control group.SettingUrban population in the Manso Health District (Example, Barcelona), Spain.ParticipantsPersons over 65 living in their own homes, healthy or with chronic illnesses characteristic of their age, who had a normal score in the Pfeiffer test. A total of 70 subjects (35 per group) were selected and 5 of the control group left the study.InterventionProgramme on self-care of the elderly, including education on physical activity, nutrition, and social support.MeasurementsDependent variables were quality of life, measured by the Nottingham Health Profile; nutritional status, measured by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA); and social support, measured by the Duke-Unk Functional Social Support Scale.ResultsThe study sample had an average age of 70.9 (SD, 3.1); 88.2% had self-perception of good health; and 21% lived alone. We only found statistically significant differences between pre- and post-intervention observations in nutritional status (P=.001).ConclusionDespite a statistically significant difference in the variable of nutritional status, the difference was not "clinically" relevant. The ineffectiveness of the intervention is due to our starting from a very homogeneous sample, which had good health status and well-established social networks.

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