Data from: Findings from an exploration of a social network intervention to promote diet quality and health behaviours in older adults with COPD: a feasibility study

Background: Diet quality in older people with Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is associated with better health and lung
function. Social factors, such as social support, social networks and
participation in activities, have been linked with diet quality in older
age. A social network tool – GENIE (Generating Engagement in Network
Involvement) – was implemented in a COPD community care context. The study
aimed to assess the feasibility of the GENIE intervention to promote diet
quality and other health behaviours in COPD. Methods: Twenty-two
community-dwelling older adults with COPD were recruited from a local COPD
Service. Participants were offered usual care or the GENIE intervention.
Process evaluation methods were used to assess intervention
implementation, context and mechanisms of impact; these included
observations of patient interactions with the intervention, documented in
observational field notes and in films of a patient group discussion. Diet
quality was assessed by food frequency questionnaire; ‘prudent’ diet
scores were used to describe diet quality at baseline and at 3-month
follow-up. Change in diet quality was expressed per month, from baseline
to follow-up. Results: Feasibility data showed that the GENIE intervention
could be implemented in this sample of community-living older people. The
intervention was acceptable to clinicians and older people with COPD,
especially for those with less severe disease, when facilitated
appropriately and considering the levels of literacy of participants.
There was no significant change in diet quality in the intervention group
over the follow-up period (median change in prudent diet score per month,
(interquartile range (IQR)): 0.03, (-0.24 – 0.07)); whereas an overall
fall in diet quality was observed in the control group (-0.15, (-0.24 –
0.03)). Conclusion: The process evaluation findings suggest that this
intervention is feasible and acceptable to both patients and clinicians.
Although the sample size achieved in this study was small, findings
suggest that the intervention may have a protective effect against
declines in diet quality, and other health behaviours, in an older COPD
population. Findings from this feasibility study indicate that further
evaluation of the GENIE intervention is warranted in a larger study, with
a longer follow-up.