Relevance of healthy lifestyle advice for older adults with chronic conditions and depression: Exploratory analyses from a single-group pilot study in Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract Interventions for older adults with NCDs and depression should be relevant to the risk factors for NCDs in non-WEIRD populations. We conducted a single-group pilot study of the Ziba Ufa intervention, consisting of problem-solving therapy and health education over 6 weekly sessions delivered by lay counsellors; there was no control group. Participants were opportunistically sampled through outpatient NCD clinics in four sites in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We conducted exploratory analyses of the clinical relevance of the health education using self-report survey data, and perceived relevance using qualitative interviews. Thirty-two participants enrolled (88% with hypertension and 44% with type 2 diabetes). Of the 21 participants with height and weight data, 12 (57%) were obese. Advice on weight loss, a sleep routine, and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption may be clinically relevant, but alcohol and tobacco consumption, levels of physical activity and consumption of processed foods with added sugar or salt were self-reported as meeting recommendations; therefore, they may be less clinically relevant. Participants reported acting on the sleep advice more than on the dietary and physical activity advice. This may indicate that sleep advice was perceived as relevant, but dietary and physical activity advice was not.