Background: To compare the effectiveness between conventional (face-to-face) and online public health approaches focused on mental health, self-efficacy of health management and quality of life of older adults.
Design and methods: Participants will be 65+ residents of the city of Rijeka and the wider urban area and will be divided into three groups. The first group consists of participants who will be included in the conventional (face-to-face) form of public health intervention, the second group consists of participants who will be involved in online public health intervention and the third group consists of participants from the control group. A total of 450 participants will participate in a pretest-posttest non-equivalent groups design research, with 150 participants per group. A series of questionnaires will be administered to evaluate effect of the interventions on mental health, self-efficacy of health management and quality of life. Results of this research will provide insight into the effectiveness of the electronic way of implementing chronic disease self-management interventions compared to conventional (face-to-face) which can be useful to policy makers and public authorities in the organization and implementation of health policies. Expected impact of the study for public health: This research will contribute to the definition, implementation and adaptation of future public health interventions related to mental health, self-efficacy of health management and quality of life in the context of various epidemiological situations such as the current one caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.