Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the LIFE-G (Lifestyle Intervention For Everyone-Group) program in reducing depression among community-dwelling older adults. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the effects of an eight-session, 4-week lifestyle intervention focusing on physical activity, eating habits, social relationships, and social participation. Pre- and post-tests using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were conducted to assess depression, multifaceted lifestyle, and self-efficacy. After the intervention, participants showed improvements in depression, self-efficacy, and multifaceted lifestyle. The LIFE-G program may be feasible for reducing depression among community-dwelling older adults.
Plain Language Summary
Some older adults living in the community experience depressive symptoms that can be affected by daily habits and social engagement. This study examined whether a short group-based lifestyle program, called the LIFE-G program, could help improve mood and daily life among older adults with depressive symptoms in South Korea. The LIFE-G program focused on four everyday areas: physical activity, eating habits, social relationships, and social participation. Over 4 weeks, participants attended eight group sessions that combined simple explanations, group interaction, shared activities, and personal planning based on individual interests. After completing the program, participants reported fewer depressive symptoms, greater confidence in managing their daily lives, and improvements in physical activity and social participation. Most participants were highly satisfied with the program and felt that their daily lives had changed in a positive way. The program emphasizes small, realistic lifestyle changes that participants choose for themselves, making it easy to apply in daily life. The group-based format also encouraged social interaction and peer support, which may have contributed to improvements in mood and motivation. This study included a small number of participants and did not use a comparison group, so the results cannot be generalized to all older adults. In addition, long-term effects were not examined, and the program was tested only with older adults who were physically able to participate. Overall, the findings suggest that the LIFE-G program is a feasible and promising approach for decreasing depresion among community-dwelling older adults with depressive symptoms.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.