Web-based Alcohol and Health Education for Older Adults

描述(由申请人提供)：Arlene Fink Associates，Inc.提议开发一个基于研究的在线酒精教育计划，并评估其在社区独立生活的老年人样本中的有效性。这项名为“为健康衰老干杯！”的项目将以健康信念原则和健康行为跨理论模型为指导，并将汇集面向老年人的有效酒精相关问题调查(ARPS)的网络版、关于饮酒风险和问题的个性化反馈以及为晚年健康干杯！一本关于酒精使用风险和问题的详细小册子。我们将在一家社区卫生中心密切监测30名老年饮酒者对该计划的可及性。为了被认为是可访问的并准备好进行效果评估，参与者必须能够轻松访问和浏览网站，并同意教育计划的内容与老年人相关。为了评估该计划的有效性，我们将152人随机分配到试验组或对照组。有效性将通过比较试验组和控制组在改变危险行为、饮酒模式和行为、自我效能和知识方面的准备情况来衡量。这项建议回应了NIAAA在开发和评估教育材料方面的兴趣，这些材料旨在让老年人了解与年龄有关的酒精问题的具体风险。AFA建议的教育计划特别关注NIAAA强调的材料，这些材料涉及与年龄相关的酒精耐受性降低，酒精与处方药和非处方药之间的相互作用，一些老年人常见疾病的可能恶化，过度饮酒的潜在生物医学和行为后果，以及酒精在跌倒、交通伤害和其他意外伤害中的作用。在老年人中，由于酒精、健康下降、药物使用增加和功能状态下降之间的相互作用，即使在相对较低的消费水平也可能发生与酒精相关的风险。与酒精相关的教育项目的潜在受众很大，而且还在不断增长。尽管老年人使用医疗保健系统，但证据有力地表明，他们的医生或其他医疗保健提供者不太可能教育他们关于酒精的知识，尽管老年人中与酒精有关的问题和风险相当常见，而且可能会随着人口老龄化而增加。许多老年人上网获取健康信息，他们的人数预计还会大幅上升。60岁及以上的人是最热情的互联网用户之一，他们也可能需要更多的酒精服务。该项目旨在设计易于使用、可访问和廉价的教育材料，可以接触到大量的互联网受众，包括患者、他们的医生和其他医疗保健提供者。公共卫生相关性：老年人中与酒精相关的风险发生是因为酒精、健康状况下降和药物使用增加之间的相互作用。该项目旨在为老年人开发和评估无障碍和有效的网络教育材料。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Arlene Fink Associates, Inc. proposes to develop a research-based online alcohol education program and evaluate its effectiveness among a sample of older adults who live independently in the community. The program, A Drink to Healthy Aging!, will be guided by the principles of the Health Belief and Transtheoretical models of health behavior, and will bring together a web-based version of the validated Alcohol Related Problems Survey (ARPS) for older adults, personalized feedback on drinking risks and problems, and A Toast to Health in Later Life! a detailed booklet on alcohol use risks and problems. We will intensively monitor the accessibility of the program among 30 older drinkers in a community health center. To be considered accessible and ready for effectiveness evaluation, participants must be able to easily access and navigate the website and agree that the educational program's contents are relevant to older adults. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, we will randomly assign 152 people to an experimental group or to a control. Effectiveness will be measured by comparing the experimental and control groups in their readiness to change risky behaviors, drinking patterns and behavior, self-efficacy, and knowledge. The proposal responds to the NIAAA's interest in the development and evaluation of educational materials designed to inform the elderly about specific age-related risks for alcohol problems. AFA's proposed education program pays particular attention to NIAAA's emphasis on materials that address age-related reductions in alcohol tolerance, interactions between alcohol and prescription and over-the-counter medications, possible exacerbation of some medical conditions common among the elderly, potential biomedical and behavioral consequences of excessive alcohol use, and the role of alcohol in falls, traffic injuries, and other unintentional injuries. In older adults, alcohol-related risks may occur even at relatively low consumption levels because of the interaction between alcohol, declining health, increased medication use and declining functional status. The potential audience for an alcohol-related educational program is large and growing. Although older adults make use of the health care system, the evidence strongly suggests that their physicians or other health care providers are unlikely to educate them about alcohol even though alcohol-related problems and risks among the elderly are fairly common and likely to increase as the population ages. Many older adults go online for health information, and their numbers are expected to rise significantly. People who are 60 years of age and older are among the most enthusiastic Internet users, and they are also likely to require increased access to alcohol services This project aims to design easy-to-use, accessible, and inexpensive educational materials that can reach a large internet audience including patients, their physicians and other health care providers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Alcohol-related risks in older adults occur because of the interaction between alcohol, declining health and increased medication use. This project aims to develop and evaluate accessible and effective web-based educational materials for older adults.