Development and psychometric testing of the Aesthetics of Everyday Life Scale in Aging (AELSA).

BACKGROUND: The aesthetics of everyday life improves physical and mental health and social communication. This study aims to develop and test a novel instrument that assesses the aesthetics of the everyday life of older adults. METHODS: A mixed-methods study with a sequential exploratory approach was conducted from November 2021 to December 2022. Item generation and questionnaire formation were developed through interviews with older adults and a literature review (stage 1). A cross-sectional study was then conducted to test the psychometric properties of the novel scale among 380 older adults referred to Urban Comprehensive Health Service Centers (stage 2). The construct validity was tested via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and with the principal component analysis method. Internal consistency and reliability of the scale were evaluated with Cronbach's alpha and test-retest with a 2-week interval. RESULTS: The initial scale was prepared with 39 items. In stage 2, EFA revealed a seven-factor model with 34 items. Internal consistency was acceptable for extracted sub-scales (Cronbach's alpha range: 0.67- 0.93) and the total score (0.926). The intra-class correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.90. CONCLUSIONS: The AELSA is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the aesthetics of everyday life in older adults. the scale will help policymakers in formulating interventions to improve mental health and well-being in older adults. Moreover, Further studies is need to provide more support of construct validity.

Aesthetics of everyday life and its related factors among older adults in Kashan (2021-2022).

BACKGROUND: Aesthetics of everyday life are associated with the physical, mental, and social health of older adults, leading them to experience a successful old age. This study aimed to examine the aesthetics of everyday life and its related factors among older adults in Kashan from 2021 to 2022. METHODS: This cross-sectional study consisted of 350 older adults who were referred to Urban Comprehensive Health Service Centers (UCHSC) in Kashan. Sampling was done by a two-stage method (cluster, random). The data collection was performed with a background information questionnaire and the Elderly's Perception of Everyday Aesthetics scale (EPEA-S). Data were analyzed using an independent t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression tests in the SPSS software. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 69.56 ± 6.63 years. The mean score of aesthetics of everyday life in older adults was 133.02 ± 14.73, with the family and others subscale receiving the highest score. The univariate test indicated a statistically significant correlation between age, employment status, education, income, smoking, social activities, physical activities, interest in artistic works, and the aesthetics of everyday life in older adults (P < 0.01). Multivariate linear analysis showed that age, employment status, smoking, income, social activities, physical activities, and interest in artistic works predicted and explained 28% of the variance of life aesthetics in older adults (R2 = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: The aesthetics of everyday life of the Iranian older adults were in a good range. Healthcare providers and families of older adults can use this concept to enhance the elderly's physical, mental, and social health.

The Effect of Self-care Education Based on Self-efficacy Theory, Individual Empowerment Model, and Their Integration on Quality of Life among Menopausal Women.

BACKGROUND: Menopause has adverse physical and emotional effects on the quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of self-care education based on self-efficacy theory, individual empowerment model, and their integration on the quality of life among menopausal women. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, 186 menopausal women, aged 45-60 years at Kashan health centers entered the study using cluster sampling for health centers and simple random sampling inside each center from the list of the population from December 2019 to March 2020. The intervention was performed in 3 groups, using empowerment training, self-efficacy training, and their integration for 4 sessions each lasting 1-1.5 hours of weekly training. Three study groups were selected from different centers to minimize information exchange. Menopausal women's quality-of-life questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Questionnaires were completed pre-intervention and one and three months after completing the intervention. SPSS16 software and ANOVA, Chi-square, and repeated measure tests were used. RESULTS: The mean±SD score of quality of life in pre-intervention measurement was 32.96±10.62 in empowerment, 31.93±12.54 in self-efficacy, and 34.07±11.7 in integrated groups. The intervention was effective in improving the quality of life of all three groups (P values were<0.001 for time, 0.92 for group, and 0.38 for time*group interaction). CONCLUSION: This study showed that empowerment and enhancing self-efficacy could improve menopausal women's quality of life. This can help health professionals to better educate postmenopausal women about self-care in menopausal complications.

Self-Care and Its Predictive Factors in Hemodialysis Patients.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease is a serious problem and patients need active self-care. This study focuses on the relationship between self-care and its predictive factors in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods: This multicenter correlational study was conducted on 201 HD patients referring to HD centers in the west of Tehran, Iran. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select the samples. Data were collected using self-care Scale, Paloutzian-Ellison Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and Connor Davidson Resilience Questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 13 and descriptive statistics and linear regression with stepwise method. Results: The mean (SD) scores of self-care, resilience, and spiritual well-being were 35.5 (5.69), 53.4 (12.94), and 97.4 (17.9), respectively. Univariate analysis showed that self-care had a statistically significant relationship with gender, occupation, education, being diabetic, and hyperlipidemia. Self-care positively correlated with the resilience and negatively correlated with age. Multivariate regression indicated that the resilience (ß = 0.78, P = 0.001), being diabetic (ß = -0.09, P = 0.01), and age (ß = -0.11, P = 0.005) could be predictors of self-care. These variables accounted for 78% of variance in self-care in HD patients. Conclusion: Our results showed that resilience was positively correlated with self-care, but being diabetic and age were negatively correlated with self-care in HD patients. Therefore, the health care providers should pay more attention to HD patients who are diabetic and older, as they are at a higher risk of having impaired self-care.

A phenomenological study on resilience of the elderly suffering from chronic disease: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Resilience is a key factor in improving health and attenuating problems caused by chronic diseases in the elderly. Having a clear understanding of its meaning in a specific population can be of great help in taking efficient steps toward better health services. Given the lack of information in this regard, the aim of this study was to understand the meaning of resilience for hospitalized older people who experience chronic conditions. METHODS: The study was carried out as a qualitative work based on a descriptive phenomenological approach. The participants were selected purposefully, so that 22 elderly with chronic disease were interviewed in 24 sessions. The collected data were recorded and analyzed through Colaizzi's method. RESULTS: Four themes were extracted from the interviews as follows: 1) "meaning of resilience in the participants' experiences" with subthemes of "the art of overcoming pain and suffering", "adapt to health problem of senescence", "accepting life with the chronic disease", and "patience and trust in God"; 2) "growth context as a prologue of resilience" with subthemes of "growth background"; 3) "external factors contributing to resilience" with subthemes of "welfare", "received support", "deprivation and shortage", and "attitudes toward an elderly with health problem"; and 4) "personal factors to overcome illness" with subthemes of "enthusiasm for following up the treatment program", "aversion to physical dependence", "hope for improvement", "motivation and purpose", and "being content with one's belongings and blessings". CONCLUSION: Improvement in resilience is associated with a patient-oriented approach. Providers of health services might make proper interventions based on unique needs of patients to improve their resilience and ability to overcome health problems. This can be performed by family members, health team, and related organizations and bodies.