The self-care for people initiative: the outcome evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of a community-based training programme in self-care on the lay population.


BACKGROUND
Self Care is recognised as being a cornerstone of the populations health, but to date there have been few large-scale studies of its effectiveness on the general public. This paper reports on an evaluation of a self-care skills training course delivered in small group sessions within workplace and parent and toddler group settings to a lay population.


METHODS
A quasi-experimental longitudinal study of 12-month duration was conducted in three intervention primary care trusts (PCTs) and two similar comparison PCTs in England. The sample comprised 1568 self-selecting participants: 868 received the intervention and 700 did not.


RESULTS
No changes were seen in usage of General Practitioner services, the primary outcome, however, statistical analysis suggested that being in the intervention group may be associated with increased use of out-of-hours and secondary care services. At six months' follow-up small but statistically significant positive effects of being in the intervention group were seen on self-esteem, well-being and anxiety scores. At 12 months' follow-up small but statistically significant positive effects of being in the intervention group were also seen on recovery locus of control, health literacy and self-esteem scores, and on knowledge of adult cough. The clinical significance of these very small changes is unclear. The training programme had a small but positive effect, which was still evident at 12 months, on individuals' knowledge and confidence levels with regard to managing their own health, but did not lead to reductions in health service use.
Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK. a.white@leedsmet.ac.uk
Alan
A
White
Jane
J
South
Anne-Marie
AM
Bagnall
Mark
M
Forshaw
Chris
C
Spoor
Paul
P
Marchant
Karl
K
Witty
D000328:Adult; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011594:Psychometrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012648:Self Care; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D016896:Treatment Outcome