Effectiveness of Health Coaching Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, Self-Management Behaviors, Self-Efficacy, and Quality of Life Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND

Health coaching has emerged as a promising intervention to improve health outcomes in older adults. However, its effectiveness has not been comprehensively synthesized.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of health coaching interventions on anxiety, depression, quality of life, self-management behavior, and self-efficacy among older adults.

METHODS

A systematic search of six English databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, APA PsycInfo, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global) was conducted from inception to October 20, 2024. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using meta-analysis with random or fixed effects. Sensitivity analyses, subgroup analyses, and publication bias tests were also performed.

RESULTS

Thirty-five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 20,200 older adults were included in this review. Meta-analysis results indicated that health coaching interventions could significantly improve anxiety (SMD: -0.09; 95% CI: -0.15, -0.04; I2: 0%), quality of life (SMD: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.39; I2: 76%), self-management behaviors (SMD: 1.15; 95% CI: 0.45, 1.86; I2: 95%), and self-efficacy (SMD: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.33; I2: 69%) among older adults, but had no significant effects on depression (SMD: -0.26; 95% CI: -0.64, 0.12; I2: 98%).

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Health coaching interventions may enhance the well-being of older adults. However, the certainty of the current evidence was generally very low to moderate, and substantial heterogeneity existed across studies. Therefore, these findings should be interpreted with caution. More high-quality RCTs with extended follow-up, as well as analyses of differential effects across demographic information, are needed to provide more robust and generalizable evidence.