Intrinsic motivation and health-promoting behaviors of the elderl

Abstract

The Surgeon General's Report, Health People (1979) and Healthy People 2000 {1990) propose that 50% of the deaths in the United States and a major portion of chronic illness are due to unhealthy lifestyles·. Recognition of the consequences of unhealthy life-styles has led nurses and . ot~er health professionals toward an increased focus on health promotiO'n. This focus is especially crucial in the growing population Qf older adults and points to the need to investigate those factors which promote positive .health-seeking behaviors. This study examined the relationship between intrinsic motivation and health-promoting behaviors in the elderly~ The, sample for this study cons~sted of 48 community-based well elderly ·volunteers aged 60 to 80 recruited from retirement communities, senior residential centers, churches and local residents. In this study, which . utilized a cross-sectional correlational design, subjects completed· a demographic questionnaire and two paper and pencil tests: (1) the Health Self-Determination Index (HSDI) and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to determine the relationship between the subjects' scores on the HS·DI and HPLP. Additionally, regression analysis was utilized to more closely investigate the relationship between scores on the HSDi and subscale scores on the HPLP.