Development and Effect of a Dietary Education Program for Older Adults undergoing Gastrectomy: The Dick and Carey Instructional Design Model

Objectives In this study, I developed and applied a dietary education program for older adults with gastrectomy based on Dick & Carey's instructional design model to determine the effects on nutritional status (weight, PG-SGA), dietary knowledge, and quality of life. Methods This study was a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design and included 96 older adults undergoing gastrectomy. The experimental group (n=47) received the dietary education program developed in this study (four sessions, 50 minutes each), and the control group (n=49) received the usual hospital education program (one session, 20 minutes). The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA to examine the study hypothesis. Results There was a significant effect on body weight (F=11.38, p<.001), PG-SGA (F=6.83, p<.001), and dietary knowledge (F=4.21, p=.028) in the experimental group. For quality of life, the experimental group decreased 1 month after surgery and increased 6 months after surgery compared to before gastrectomy, while the control group decreased both 1 month and 6 months after surgery, which was not statistically significant. Conclusions A dietary education program developed based on Dick & Carey's instructional design model was found to be effective in improving nutritional status and dietary knowledge in older adults undergoing gastrectomy. Therefore, we expect it to be a useful program to help older adults recover from gastrectomy.