Health motives and life values. A study of young persons' reasons for health.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the health motives of young people, i.e. the things that give health meaning. The investigation was carried out as two studies among Finland-Swedish young people aged 13-19. A questionnaire with open questions framed with a multidimensional perspective on health was filled in by 152 pupils at secondary school, 121 pupils at upper secondary school and 115 pupils at vocational school in study I. A theme interview with 15 young persons was the data assembling method used in study II. The data was analysed using the hermeneutical method. The results revealed that a young person's experience of health and idea of what health is cannot be understood in a deeper sense without understanding the young person's health motives. The health motives can be described at different levels as external, internal and fundamental. The different motives for health form health motive complexes, which are based on an aspiration to avoid something perceived as evil, such as illness and suffering. On the other hand, the motives are based on an aspiration to achieve what is good, such as love and life. The motives mentioned as meaningful for health have to do with the things that are valued in life. Consciousness of life values that last and can give meaning provides an answer to the 'why' of health. Humanistic values, existentialistic values, materialistic values or traditionalistic values give the clue to why health is meaningful for a young person. The results also indicated that there are difference in young persons' health motives in different school contexts.