Life events and their impact on health attitudes and health behavior.

A representative sample of non-institutionalized elderly persons between 65 and 74 years living in Stockholm county, Sweden responded to a self-report health questionnaire. Special life events and their subsequent effects were examined in the context of health attitudes and health behavior. Of the 370 respondents, 128 reported experiencing a special life event. The resulting effects of life events were categorized into one of six groups: smoking, alcohol, diet, restricted mobility, existential circumstances and a miscellaneous group. Positive associations between life events and health attitudes and health behavior were discovered. This was particularly evident in the diet and the restricted mobility group. The findings suggest that the occurrence of life events and subsequent effects can contribute to health promotive behavior despite the potential worries, poor health and diseases which may also be associated with them.