title: Gender and health lifestyle: an in-depth exploration of self-care activities in later life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE. Evaluate similarities and differences in the self-care domain of health lifestyle among older, rural-dwelling women and men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative analysis of in-depth interview data from 62 community-dwelling older (M = 74.3 years) African and European American women and men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both older women and men rely heavily on over-the-counter medications and home remedies for self-care; professional health care is typically sought when self-care is not effective. However, relative to men, women were more knowledgeable about different approaches to self-care, especially home remedies; they used a wider range of self-care activities; and they placed greater priority on self-care over professional health care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The structure of older women's and men's self-care domain of health lifestyle is similar. However, there are subtle differences in health lifestyle that are likely embedded in gendered role behavior and may contribute to women's greater health complaints.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. grzywacz@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Grzywacz
authors.forename: Eleanor Palo
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Stoller
authors.forename: A Nichol
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Brewer-Lowry
authors.forename: Ronny A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Quandt
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Arcury
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001527:Behaviorism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012648:Self Care