Background Diet quality in older people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with better health and lung function. Social factors, such as social support, social networks and participation in activities, have been linked with diet quality in older age. A social network tool-GENIE (Generating Engagement in Network Involvement)-was implemented in a COPD community care context. The study aimed to assess the feasibility of the GENIE intervention to promote diet quality and other health behaviours in COPD. Methods Twenty-two community-dwelling older adults with COPD were recruited from a local COPD service. Participants were offered usual care or the GENIE intervention. Process evaluation methods were used to assess intervention implementation, context and mechanisms of impact; these included observations of patient interactions with the intervention, documented in observational field notes and in films of a patient group discussion. Diet quality was assessed by food frequency questionnaire; 'prudent' diet scores were used to describe diet quality at baseline and at 3-month follow-up. Change in diet quality was expressed per month, from baseline to follow-up. Results Feasibility data showed that the GENIE intervention could be implemented in this sample of community-living older people. The intervention was acceptable to clinicians and older people with COPD, especially for those with less severe disease, when facilitated appropriately and considering the levels of literacy of participants. There was no significant change in diet quality in the intervention group over the follow-up period (median change in prudent diet score per month (interquartile range (IQR), 0.03 (- 0.24-0.07)), whereas an overall fall in diet quality was observed in the control group (- 0.15 (- 0.24-0.03)). Conclusion The process evaluation findings suggest that this intervention is feasible and acceptable to both patients and clinicians. Although the sample size achieved in this study was small, findings suggest that the intervention may have a protective effect against declines in diet quality, and other health behaviours, in an older COPD population. Findings from this feasibility study indicate that further evaluation of the GENIE intervention is warranted in a larger study, with a longer follow-up. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02935452. NIH U.S. National Library of Medicine. Registered 17 October 2016.

中文翻译：

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探索社交网络干预以促进患有慢性阻塞性肺病的老年人的饮食质量和健康行为的结果：一项可行性研究。

背景 患有慢性阻塞性肺病 (COPD) 的老年人的饮食质量与更好的健康和肺功能有关。社会支持、社交网络和参与活动等社会因素与老年人的饮食质量有关。在 COPD 社区护理环境中实施了社交网络工具 - GENIE（在网络参与中产生参与）。该研究旨在评估 GENIE 干预以促进 COPD 患者饮食质量和其他健康行为的可行性。方法 从当地 COPD 服务机构招募了 22 名居住在社区的 COPD 老年人。向参与者提供常规护理或 GENIE 干预。过程评估方法用于评估干预措施的实施、背景和影响机制；这些包括观察患者与干预措施的互动，记录在观察现场笔记和患者小组讨论的电影中。通过食物频率问卷评估饮食质量；“谨慎”饮食评分用于描述基线和 3 个月随访时的饮食质量。从基线到随访，每个月都会表达饮食质量的变化。结果 可行性数据显示，GENIE 干预可以在该社区老年人样本中实施。临床医生和患有 COPD 的老年人可以接受干预，特别是对于那些病情较轻的人，只要适当促进并考虑参与者的识字水平。NIH 美国国家医学图书馆。2016 年 10 月 17 日注册。