Evidence of Specific Healthy Behaviors Positively Associated with General Life Satisfaction among Rural Adults

Abstract

Background: Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death worldwide. Evidence suggests that infrequent adopting healthy behaviors correlated with many chronic diseases. Healthy behaviors can lead to a marked reduction of morbidity and mortality. Life satisfaction is an important parameter of well-being. Few studies have focused on the association between healthy behaviors and life satisfaction among adults in rural areas. Aim: To establish the determinant and modifiable lifestyle factors associated with life satisfaction among rural adults. Methods: We analyzed our previous health promotion program in a rural area in 2013 obtained from 27 villages (n = 8024) in Yunlin County, Taiwan. The assessment comprised one question assessing self-reported life satisfaction on a 5-point scale (dichotomous: low satisfaction/high satisfaction) and four domainspecific items of health-related behaviors (smoking, oral hygiene, exercise, healthy diet). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between health-related behaviors and life satisfaction adjusted for age, sex, and education. Findings: The mean age was 47.6 years (SD = 16.2), and 56.7% (n = 4551) of the participants were female. Participants with lower life satisfaction reported frequently perceived dissatisfaction with sleep quality (p < 0.001) and health status (p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounding variables, the associated risk factors for lower life satisfaction were smoking (OR = 1.20, p = 0.006), less frequently adopted healthy behaviors including dental check (OR = 1.23, p < 0.001), infrequent teeth brushing (OR = 1.12, p = 0.022), infrequent use of dental floss (OR = 1.12, p = 0.028), infrequent consumption of a balanced diet (OR = 1.64, p < 0.001), insufficient vegetable intake (OR = 1.19, p = 0.001), insufficient water intake (OR = 1.14, p = 0.009), and infrequent regular exercise (OR = 1.26, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The * Corresponding author. M.-S. Lin et al. 162 findings showed that many adults did not adopt healthy habits in their life. This study identified significant unhealthy behaviors associated with lower life satisfaction, including cigarette smoking, unhealthy diet, poor oral hygiene, and physical inactivity. The enhancement of health promotion programs to improve life satisfaction through decreasing unhealthy habits is necessary for rural adults.

Misperception of Oral Health among Adults in Rural Areas: A Fundamental but Neglected Issue in Primary Healthcare

“…The results showed high prevalence of tooth loss and <20 remaining teeth in adults in rural areas. These findings are consistent with those of previous researches examining the prevalence of and factors associated with tooth loss in rural communities, which characterized with low educational levels, infrequent use of dental floss, and high prevalence of smoking [ 4 , 24 , 25 ]. The results also echoed the statements by WHO [ 1 ] that social determinants in oral health are very strong.…”

“…Some studies have shown that individuals, who smoked and did not attend regular dental check-ups, nor brush their teeth, adhere to a balanced diet, nor consume vegetables or water, would frequently reported lower levels of satisfaction with life [ 1 , 24 ]. In addition, “8020 achievers” exhibited higher daily activity levels, greater satisfaction with life, and higher cumulative survival rates relative to those of “8020 non-achievers” [ 18 ].…”

The Moderating Role of Self-Rated Oral Health on the Association Between Oral Health Status and Subjective Well-Being: Findings From Chinese Older Adults in Hawaiʻi and Taiwan

“…We speculate at least several reasons that might account for the disparities reported by our Taichung sample: First, medical resources were insufficient for the current Taiwanese older adults during their childhood and youth compared with the younger cohorts in Taiwan. Second, due to insufficient oral health literacy (Ho et al, 2019; Hsu et al, 2013), most of the older adults in Taiwan often reported poor oral hygiene perceptions and behaviors (Hsu et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2016; Wang et al, 2013). As a result, they tended to suffer from serious oral health problems and had poor self-rated oral health.…”

Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation and Associated Risk Factors among Adults with Disabilities

“…Some literature supports that healthy eating and exercise are associated with health status, e.g. decreasing the chances of being overweight and developing cardiovascular diseases, and increasing general life satisfaction [5,23]. Therefore, even outside of the context of suicide prevention, a healthy lifestyle for people with disabilities is an important health focus for community health nurses.…”

“…(3) Health-related behaviours were modified from the health promotion scale [19][20][21][22] and evidenced by the presence of specific healthy behaviours positively associated with general life satisfaction and health status [23,24]. This modified questionnaire contained 6 domains; including substance use, exercise, and nutrition, sleeps quality, social participation, and life satisfaction in the past year.…”