Abstract
The aim of this study was to clarify the actual state of retired workers' lifestyles and quality of life (QOL) in a medium-sized city of Northeastern China and to assess the relationship between these according to differences between gender groups. The Chinese version of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II), the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), and demographic variables were used to measure 343 (aged 50-79 years) retired workers' lifestyles and QOL. The results were analyzed using the t test, one-way analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis. Among the six lifestyle subscales of HPLP-II, the highest mean score was for Interpersonal Relations (IR) and the lowest was for Health Responsibility (HR), which has not been reported previously. The youngest group (50-60 years) had higher scores for lifestyles and QOL than the other age groups. When the results were analyzed based on financial situation, the lowest income group (below ¥2000) had the poorest scores. Analysis according to gender group revealed different tendencies for the scores of lifestyle and QOL, as well as in the multiple regression analysis between variables. Our results suggest that an effective approach to maintain a desirable lifestyle and QOL for retired workers at the regional level would be to introduce daily activities to improve HR and to maintain and enhance social support for the low-income populations. Further research is needed to understand the complex causal pathways between regional health and welfare factors, health behavior, and QOL.
Highlights
China has entered the aging society where the health and well-being of the elderly are becoming important
Among the six lifestyle subscales of Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II), the highest mean score was for Interpersonal Relations (IR) and the lowest was for Health Responsibility (HR), which has not been reported previously
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately 50.8 % of deaths are attributable to major chronic diseases that are closely related to an unhealthy lifestyle [1]
Summary
China has entered the aging society where the health and well-being of the elderly are becoming important. The importance of a healthy lifestyle is receiving increasing attention due to its effect on health and wellbeing. The epidemiologic transition from infection to chronic disease as a leading cause of death together with the aging of the population and rapidly escalating healthcare costs illustrate the urgent need for a shift in public health care systems from acute treatment to the prevention of disease and the Environ Health Prev Med (2013) 18:458–465 promotion of better health-related behavior [2]. Many studies have demonstrated that healthy lifestyles promote health and can mitigate the negative effects of chronic disease and decrease the incidence of various health conditions [6, 7]. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle is crucial in terms of potentially preventing the development of chronic diseases, reducing morbidity, improving the quality of life (QOL), and decreasing medical costs and the healthcare burden on society
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