The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44426

Joseph Burton, MS¹, Joseph Boffa, DDSMPH², and Michelle Henshaw, DMD, MPH². (1) HealthLink Project, Roger Williams Medical Center, 825 Chalkstone Ave, Providence, RI 02908, (2) Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, 617-638-4673, jabri@att.net

This session discusses the implementation and assessment of the HealthLink project, a five-year health prevention and early detection model designed for seniors. The HealthLink project combines the resources of Roger Williams Medical Center and the New England Association of Labor Retirees to extend health promotion programming to seniors throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The collaborative provides information and support to seniors who are linked through a unique social infrastructure and who are attempting to improve their health through behavioral change. The health promotion activities focus on (1) smoking cessation, (2) increasing regular physical activity, and (3) improving nutrition. The intervention attempts to remove barriers to change through motivational interviewing techniques, personal feedback, and building self-efficacy. The Short Form (SF) 12 and SF-36 are used to monitor health-related quality-of-life throughout the project. Preliminary findings from the first year of the program are presented, including the baseline mental- and physical health summary scores of the participants, and selected individual component scores. Initial scores were obtained by administering the SF-12 or SF-36 to the participants at the time of enrollment into the HealthLink program, and are calculated from the responses using the algorithm recommended by the instrument’s distributor. Follow-up scores are obtained by re-administering the instrument periodically. The authors examine the relationship of the scores to various demographic and lifestyle characteristics, to participants knowledge and attitudes about their health, to health outcomes, and to national norms.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, the participants will be able to
• Identify the key components of promoting healthy living among seniors
• Define the constructs measured by the SF-12 and SF-36 health-related quality of life instruments
• Assess the health of a population by using the SF-12 an SF-36

Keywords: Quality of Life, Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The copyright holders of the SF-36® and SF-12® Health Surveys: The Health Assessment Lab; Medical Outcomes Trust;and QualityMetric, Inc.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.