A prelimary study of a health-promoting lifestyle among South Asian women in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study was to determine and understand the predicting factors of a health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) in Southeast Asian women in Taiwan. One hundred and five Southeast Asian women in Tainan were recruited. Face-to-face interviews with structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The findings showed that, among the six dimensions of HPL, subjects scored highest in self-actualization and lowest in health responsibility. Subjects who could read and write Chinese had a more positive HPL; stepwise regression analysis revealed that the ability to read Chinese could explain 26.2% of the total variance of HPL in Southeast Asian women. The results of this study can help health care professionals understand the HPL and to design appropriate health-promoting educational programs to improve the well-being and overall quality of life of Southeast Asian women in Taiwan.