The Effects of Health Care Empowerment Program for Vulnerable Elderly Women with Hypertension

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and apply a self-management competency enhancement program based on Johnson’s Model of Health Care Empowerment for vulnerable elderly women with hypertension. Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used. Participants were 38 elderly women aged 65 and older receiving customized home visiting health care in G city. They were assigned to either the intervention or control group. The program consisted of eight 60-minute sessions, and was held twice a week for four weeks. Blood pressure (BP) and lipid levels, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), were measured at three time points: before, immediately after, and four weeks after the intervention. Health literacy, self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms were assessed using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent t-tests, the Friedman test, and the Mann-Whitney test. Results: The program significantly improved health literacy (p<0.01) and self-efficacy (p<0.01). However, no significant differences were observed between groups in blood pressure, lipid levels, or depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The health care empowerment program is a viable community health nursing intervention for enhancing health literacy and self-efficacy in vulnerable elderly women with hypertension.