Health behaviors as determinants of the quality of life of the elderly

Abstract

Background: Quality of life is a subject of research by representatives of various fields of science, including psychology, sociology, economics, and medicine. The results of some previous studies show that the quality of life of elderly people is related to their health behaviors. The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between the quality of life, considered in general and in detail, and health behaviors of healthy and ill elderly people from the Opolskie Voivodeship (Poland). Methods: 105 people (81 women and 24 men) participated in the study, including 61 patients and 44 healthy people, aged from 60 to 89 years. The average age of respondents was 71.2 ± 6.4 years. The main research method was the diagnostic questionnaire survey. The Health Behavior Inventory and R. Cummins’s Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale were used. Results: The study results showed that the average value of the health behavior index in healthy respondents was significantly higher than in patients. The analysis of particular categories of health behaviors revealed that healthy persons declared normal eating habits more often than patients. The mean value of the general quality of life index was significantly higher in healthy respondents than in patients. Health status also significantly differentiated the quality of life in favor of healthy individuals in the domains of health and intimacy. In the analyzed group of respondents, health behaviors significantly determined the quality of life of patients only. The odds that the quality of life of patients are above average were greater in patients with average and higher health behavior indices than in patients with low health behavior indices. Conclusion: Measures of quality of life improvement should also be aimed at increasing the prevalence of health behaviors in the elderly.