Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Original article

Vol. 142 No. 2728 (2012)

Attitudes, barriers and facilitators for health promotion in the elderly in primary care

  • Nina Badertscher
  • Pascal Olivier Rossi
  • Arabelle Rieder
  • Cathrine Herter-Clavel
  • Thomas Rosemann
  • Marco Zoller
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2012.13606
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2012;142:w13606
Published
01.07.2012

Summary

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: Effective health promotion is of great importance from clinical as well as from public health perspectives and therefore should be encouraged. Especially regarding health promotion in the elderly, general practitioners (GPs) have a key role. Nevertheless, evidence suggests a lack of health promotion by GPs, especially in this age group. The aim of our study was to assess self-perceived attitudes, barriers and facilitators of GPs to provide health promotion in the elderly.

METHODS: We performed a qualitative focus group study with 37 general practitioners. The focus group interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed literally and analysed with ATLAS.ti, a software program for qualitative text analysis.

RESULTS: Among the participating GPs, definitions of health promotion varied widely and the opinions regarding its effectiveness were very heterogeneous. The two most important self-perceived barriers for GPs to provide health promotion in the elderly were lack of time and insufficient reimbursement for preventive and health promotion advice. As intervention to increase health promotion in the elderly, GPs suggested, for example, integration of health promotion into under and postgraduate training. Changes at the practice level such as involving the practice nurse in health promotion and counselling were discussed very controversially.

CONCLUSION: Health promotion, especially in the elderly, is crucial but in the opinion of the GPs we involved in our study, there is a gap between public health requirements and the reimbursement system. Integration of health promotion in medical education may be needed to increase knowledge as well as attitudes of GPs regarding this issue.

References

  1. Beswick AD, Rees K, Dieppe P, Ayis S, Gooberman-Hill R, Horwood J, et al. Complex interventions to improve physical function and maintain independent living in elderly people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2008;371(9614):725–35.
  2. Lee A. Health-promoting schools: evidence for a holistic approach to promoting health and improving health literacy. Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2009;7(1):11–7.
  3. Statistics SFOf: Scenarios for population development in Switzerland 2010–2060. 2010.
  4. Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention im Alter in der Schweiz – Ergebnisse aus dem Gesundheitsprofil-Projekt [http://www.obsan.admin.ch/bfs/obsan/de/index/05/05.html?publicationID=2592]
  5. Travers C, Martin-Khan M, Lie D. Barriers and enablers of health promotion, prevention and early intervention in primary care: Evidence to inform the Australian national dementia strategy. Australasian J Ageing. 2009;28(2):51–7.
  6. Zyska Cherix A, Moix E, Meili M, Neuner S, Cornuz J, Spencer B. Perceptions and barriers to the implementation of prevention and health promotion in General Practice: a Study of Swiss GPs. In: WONCA 2009. Basel, Switzerland; 2009.
  7. Brotons C, Björkelund C, Bulc M, Ciurana R, Godycki-Cwirko M, Jurgova E, et al. Prevention and health promotion in clinical practice: the views of general practitioners in Europe. Preventive Medicine 2005;40(5):595–601.
  8. Dapp U, Anders J, Meier-Baumgartner HP, v Renteln-Kruse W. Geriatric health promotion and prevention for independently living senior citizens: programmes and target groups. Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2007;40(4):226–40.
  9. Hudon E, Beaulieu MD, Roberge D. Integration of the recommendations of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care: obstacles perceived by a group of family physicians. Fam Pract. 2004;21(1):11–7.
  10. Kligman EW. Preventive geriatrics: basic principles for primary care physicians. Geriatrics. 1992;47(7):39–50.
  11. Lambe B, Collins C. A qualitative study of lifestyle counselling in general practice in Ireland. Fam Pract. 2010;27(2):219–23.
  12. McAvoy BR. A scandal of inaction: how to help GPs implement evidence-based health promotion. Br J Gen Pract. 2000;50(452):180–1.
  13. Sims J, Kerse NM, Naccarella L, Long H. Health promotion and older people: The role of the general practitioner in Australia in promoting healthy ageing. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2000;24(4):356–9.
  14. van der Bij AK, Laurant MG, Wensing M. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for older adults: a review. Am J Prev Med. 2002;22(2):120–33.
  15. Stuck AE, Elkuch P, Dapp U, Anders J, Iliffe S, Swift CG. Feasibility and yield of a self-administered questionnaire for health risk appraisal in older people in three European countries. Age Ageing. 2002;31(6):463–7.
  16. Stuck AE, Kharicha K, Dapp U, Anders J, Von Renteln-Kruse W, Meier-Baumgartner H, et al. Development, feasibility and performance of a health risk appraisal questionnaire for older persons. BMC Medical Research Methodology. 2007, 7.
  17. Stuck AE, Minder CE, Peter-Wuest I, Gillmann G, Egli C, Kesselring A, et al. A randomized trial of in-home visits for disability prevention in community-dwelling older people at low and high risk for nursing home admission. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(7):977–86.
  18. Moore LG. Escaping the tyranny of the urgent by delivering planned care. Fam Pract Manag. 2006;13(5):37–40.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3