Health promoting behaviors and associated factors among older adults: a narrative review

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the recent literature on health-promoting behavior, health needs and associated factors among older adults. Design/methodology/approach An massive search of five databases involving documents in the past decade was commenced. Findings This review showed a significant relationship between older adults’ demographic characteristics (marital status, income, chronic disease, education level and smoking status) and health-promoting behaviors. This review showed that older adults with a high level of education, high income, chronic diseases and smoker and married older adults are associated with better health-promoting behaviors. Originality/value The result of the current review supports the Pender Health Promotion Model that individual personal characteristics can affect the level of engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Assessing the health-promoting behaviors of older adults can help in identifying their health needs.

Promoting Healthy Behaviors in Older Adults to Optimize Health-Promoting Lifestyle: An Intervention Study

“…Scholars have pointed out that health promotion refers to the enhancement of a person’s physical, mental, and social well-being through any behavior, social conditions, and environments that can support their physical and mental health, strong mental state, longevity, and good quality of life. This is where a healthy lifestyle comes into play [ 24 , 25 ].…”

Older People’s Perception and Experience Regarding Health Promotion in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

“…Several studies from different countries have shown that older people do not adequately engage in health-promoting activities (Aung et al, 2017; Brojeni et al, 2019; Harooni et al, 2014). It has been noted in the literature that the frequency of regular physical activity is not sufficient (König et al, 2019; Lök & Lök, 2016; Rababa et al, 2021). Furthermore, there is evidence that older people are less likely to eat healthily (Mosleh & Darawad, 2015; Rababa et al, 2021; Smith et al, 2020).…”

“…It has been noted in the literature that the frequency of regular physical activity is not sufficient (König et al, 2019; Lök & Lök, 2016; Rababa et al, 2021). Furthermore, there is evidence that older people are less likely to eat healthily (Mosleh & Darawad, 2015; Rababa et al, 2021; Smith et al, 2020).…”

“…Various factors have been reported to affect older adults’ willingness to engage in health-promoting activities. One of these factors is having a chronic disease (McPhee et al, 2016; Rababa et al, 2021). For people who live with chronic diseases, health promotion is a process of enabling and developing potentials for healing and health.…”

“…On the other hand, chronic diseases affect individuals’ engagement in health-promoting activities (Heggdal, 2021; McPhee et al, 2016). In addition, factors such as age-related changes (Cheng et al, 2015), education level (Thorpe et al, 2019), socioeconomic status, and access to resources (Rababa et al, 2021) also have a negative effect on older people’s engagement in health-promoting activities. It is important to learn these factors from the perspective of older individuals.…”