Development of a health education programme for elderly with age-related macular degeneration: a focus group study

Age-related macular degeneration is a serious public health problem, and in most cases no cure exists. One available intervention is low vision rehabilitation, and there is a lack of programmes for the elderly. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an evaluation of a group-based health education programme. This programme comprised six to eight 2-3 hour meetings, once a week, for persons with age-related macular degeneration. Each group consisted of four to six participants. The goal of the programme, which has its roots in the health belief model, was to sustain and restore the participants' performance of their daily activities. The tool used for process evaluation was focus group methodology, and eight focus groups were involved. Forty five persons, whose average age was 80 years, took part in the evaluation. The results indicated that the participants were, on the whole, pleased with the content of the programme. There were, however, some indications that they did not understand all the information provided. Social support, regained hope and meeting others with the same disease were reported as positive aspects of the health education programme. The importance of the group leader's role in guiding this health education programme was emphasised. Furthermore, with regard to the composition of the groups, the participants pointed out that it was important to consider variation in visual acuity, so as to provide different models for comparison, and whether both sexes should participate in all groups. Finally, several suggestions for improving the programme are put forward.