A Multi-Modal Health Promotion Program for Korean Elderly

There are a few community-based, multi-modal health promotion programs to improve the psychological health of vulnerable older adults. Purpose: This study used a quasi-experimental design to examine the effectiveness of a community-based health promotion program that combined music therapy, traditional dance, and foot massage to alleviate depression and promote well-being of poor, older, Korean adults in an urban community. Methods: A total of 32 older adults were included, eighteen of them recruited from a public healthcare center were assigned to experimental group, and fourteen recruited from social welfare center were assigned to the control group for an 8-week health promotion program. Depression and well-being were measured at baseline, end-point, and follow-up points. Results: In the experimental group, well-being significantly improved p=.014 but depression improved over time p=.632, but not significantly. There was no significant improvement in the control group over time. Conclusion: The health promotion program developed in this research could be considered useful for improving psychological health of older adults.