Women's aging benchmarks in relation to their health habits and concerns.
OBJECTIVE
To identify aging benchmarks for women and to examine relationships between women's perceptions of aging and their health behaviors and concerns.


METHODS
More than 1000 primarily white women completed paper-and-pencil and Internet surveys of demographic, attitudinal, and health-behavior information.


RESULTS
Aging benchmarks correlated significantly with women's education and employment levels, reported health status, and health behaviors including exercise, dieting, and breast augmentation surgery. Those who worried about aging were significantly more likely to diet but not more likely to exercise.


CONCLUSIONS
More research is needed to understand how perceptions influence women's ability to impact the aging process.
O'Reilly
Nancy D
ND
O'Reilly Health & Wellness Consultation Services, LLC, Rogersville, MO, USA.
Thomlinson
R Paul
RP
Castrey
Margaret U
MU
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors