Impact of Face-to-Face and Online Mindfulness-Based Public Health Interventions on Health-Related Quality of Life in Older People: A Comparative Study

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important indicator of well-being among older people, especially those living with chronic diseases. Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in improving HRQoL. However, in the literature there is a limited number of studies that compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and online mindfulness-based public health interventions. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and online mindfulness-based public health interventions on HRQoL among older people with chronic conditions. A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test non-randomized study design with non-equivalent groups was conducted among 388 participants aged 65 and older in Rijeka, Croatia. Participants chose to join either a seven-week face-to-face or online mindfulness program or were included in a control group. HRQoL was measured using the SF-12 and EQ-5D-5L questionnaires at baseline and six months post-intervention. Participants in the online intervention showed significant improvements in subjective HRQoL perception regarding physical (<i>p</i> < 0.001, η² = 0.066) and mental dimension (<i>p</i> = 0.052; η² = 0.010) as well as self-assessed health (EQ-5D-5L = <i>p</i> < 0.001, η² = 0.055; EQ-VAS = <i>p</i> < 0.001, η² = 0.067) compared to the control group. The face-to-face group also showed improvements, although to a lesser extent. The control group showed no significant change. Both face-to-face and online mindfulness-based interventions may be associated with improvements in HRQoL among older people with chronic conditions, with the online approach demonstrating slightly greater effects. These findings support the use of online approach in community-based public health interventions targeting older populations.