title: [Nutritional self-care promotion in community-dwelling older people: a protocol of mixed method research].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe a research protocol designed to promote nutritional self-care in older people. The aims of the research are: a) to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutritional education intervention in changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; b) to describe the nutritional self-care ability and activities; c) to identify the promoting factors and barriers that influence the changes in nutritional knowledge, behaviors and attitudes in home-dwelling older people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sequential explanatory mixed method design. The study will enroll 50 people aged 65 years and over. In the first quantitative phase, a pre-test and post-test design will be used to deliver a nutritional intervention aimed to change knowledge, behaviors and attitudes toward nutrition. Using the quantitative study results, the qualitative study phase will be conducted by interviews in sub-groups of older people. In a third phase, the quantitative and qualitative study results will be integrated. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data will be analyzed through content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study will provide new knowledge on nutritional self-care in home-dwelling older adults and the factors promoting nutritional self-care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional self-care promotion is of pivotal importance for the nursing care provided to home-dwelling older people. Educational programs aimed at the maintenance of proper nutrition in the older adults may reduce malnutrition and the related diseases. Nutrition educational programs should be based on knowledge derived from research to tailor individualized nutritional interventions and to realize effective educational programs.
authors.affiliation: Ph.D Student in Nursing Science, Università di Roma Tor Vergata. Correspondence: barbara.raffaele63@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Raffaele
authors.affiliation: Associate professor in Nursing Science, Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matarese
authors.affiliation: PhD, MSC, RN, Researcher in Nursing Science,Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piredda
authors.affiliation: Full Professor in Nursing Science,Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: De Marinis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D004032:Diet / Q000451:nursing*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000592:standards; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009749:Nutrition Surveys / Q000592:standards; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care; D012923:Social Class