Determinants of health-promoting behavior among women ages 65 and above living in the community.
This study utilized Pender's Health Promotion Model to investigate through canonical correlation analysis the role that select cognitive-perceptual factors (health self-determinism, learned helplessness, self-esteem, and perceived health) and modifying factors (age, race, marital status, education, and income) play in understanding participation of community-living older adult women (age > or = 65) in the health-promoting behaviors of health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, and stress management. These were measured by the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II in a convenience sample of 107 community-living older adult women (mean age 76.7 years). Gender-specific benefits and barriers to participating in health-promoting behaviors were also explored using open-ended questions. Two significant canonical variates were demonstrated. These indicated that age, marital status, race, education, and self-esteem and the two health-related factors of perceived health and health self-determinism made statistically significant contributions to the health-promoting behaviors of physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relations. Benefits identified included better psychological well-being, coping with the general issues of aging, social interaction, improved function, and management of existing health problems. Internal barriers focused on perceived physical difficulties with all types of health-promoting behaviors; external barriers included aspects of the activity itself, lack of support from others and structural barriers. Study results suggest that older adult women (age > or = 65) participate in health-promoting behaviors for both health enhancement and health management reasons and that barriers may be a more important determinant of older women's health-promoting lifestyle behaviors than previously described in the model.
Lucas
J A
JA
Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, College of Nursing, Newark 07102, USA.
Orshan
S A
SA
Cook
F
F
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009042:Motivation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012649:Self Concept