Effects of a community-based intervention on cardio-metabolic risk and self-care behaviour in older adults with metabolic syndrome.

This pilot study was performed to investigate the effects of a community-based intervention (CBI) on cardio-metabolic risk and self-care behaviour in 92 older adults with metabolic syndrome at public health centres in Suwon, Korea. A prospective, pretest and posttest, controlled, quasi-experimental design was used. The older adults in the intervention group participated in an 8-week intensive lifestyle counselling, whereas those in the control group received usual care. The mean (standard deviation) age of the participants was 71.4 (4.43) years ranging from 60 to 84, and 75.0% of the participants were female. The intervention group at 8 weeks showed significant reduction in waist circumference by -1.35 cm (P<0.001) and improved self-care behaviour (+5.17 score, P<0.05) and self-efficacy (+4.84 score, P<0.001) when compared with the control group. The percentages of those who successfully completed the targeted behavioural modification were 71.7% for exercise and 52.2% for dietary control in the intervention group at 8 weeks. This pilot study provided evidence of the beneficial impact of the CBI for Korean older adults with metabolic syndrome.