Background
Self-care training programs can be an important means for educating the elderly in behaviours that promote health and the quality of life. Since sleep disorders, and problems related to eating patterns and general health, become more apparent with age, we aimed to investigate the effect of a self-care training program using smartphones on general health, nutritional status, and sleep quality of the elderly.
Methods
In this randomized quality improvement trial with a pretest/post-test design, 54 healthy and independent elderly were enrolled and randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The interventions included 21 sessions of self-care training that were presented virtually using smartphones.
Results
Significant differences before and after the intervention were observed for the intervention group with respect to measures of general health, nutrition, and sleep quality.
Conclusion
Training in health-promoting self-care behaviours, delivered by smartphone, should be considered as a major strategy for maintaining and promoting health among the elderly.