Alina Deluga1, Bogumiła Kosicka2, Beata Dobrowolska3, Agnieszka Chrzan-Rodak1, Krzysztof Jurek4, Irena Wrońska1, Anna Ksykiewicz-Dorota2, Marian Jędrych5, Bartłomiej Drop5. 1. Department of Family Medicine and Community Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University, Lublin, Poland. 2. Department of Management in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University, Lublin, Poland. 3. Department of Development in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University, Lublin, Poland. bb.dobrowolska@gmail.com. 4. Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Sociology, John Paul II Catholic University, Lublin, Poland. 5. Department of Informatics and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University, Lublin, Poland.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: A healthy lifestyle can help older people maintain their functional ability and, therefore, satisfaction with life. An important aspect of health promotion is the assessment of lifestyle factors over which patients have some control. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the lifestyle of the elderly in urban and rural areas using the Fantastic Life Inventory (FLI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research group comprised 138 people aged 65-94 years (M = 72.41, SD = 6.90). Participants were recruited from urban 78 (56.5%) and rural 60 (43.5%) areas. The FLI used in this study has 25 closed-ended questions that explore nine domains, including physical, psychological, and social lifestyle components. RESULTS: The overall lifestyle of most seniors was 'excellent' (45.7%) or 'very good' (41.3%); none of the respondents scored in the lowest category - 'needs improvement'. The domains that mostly demonstrated the need for a change were related to activity, nutrition, insight, sleep, stress. Participants from rural areas tended to have lower scores in the activity (p= 0.017) and nutrition (p= 0.015) domains. The lifestyle of the elderly is determined by several factors, including age, gender, health status, level of education, and the place of residence. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of older persons demonstrated an 'excellent' or 'very good' lifestyle with healthy habits. The adoption of healthy lifestyle patterns, in particular a regular balanced diet and proper physical activity, can help prevent functional limitations among the elderly in rural areas.
INTRODUCTION: A healthy lifestyle can help older people maintain their functional ability and, therefore, satisfaction with life. An important aspect of health promotion is the assessment of lifestyle factors over which patients have some control. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the lifestyle of the elderly in urban and rural areas using the Fantastic Life Inventory (FLI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research group comprised 138 people aged 65-94 years (M = 72.41, SD = 6.90). Participants were recruited from urban 78 (56.5%) and rural 60 (43.5%) areas. The FLI used in this study has 25 closed-ended questions that explore nine domains, including physical, psychological, and social lifestyle components. RESULTS: The overall lifestyle of most seniors was 'excellent' (45.7%) or 'very good' (41.3%); none of the respondents scored in the lowest category - 'needs improvement'. The domains that mostly demonstrated the need for a change were related to activity, nutrition, insight, sleep, stress. Participants from rural areas tended to have lower scores in the activity (p= 0.017) and nutrition (p= 0.015) domains. The lifestyle of the elderly is determined by several factors, including age, gender, health status, level of education, and the place of residence. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of older persons demonstrated an 'excellent' or 'very good' lifestyle with healthy habits. The adoption of healthy lifestyle patterns, in particular a regular balanced diet and proper physical activity, can help prevent functional limitations among the elderly in rural areas.
Entities:
Keywords:
city; lifestyle; the Fantastic checklist; the elderly; village
Authors: Izabela Gąska; Katarzyna Sygit; Elżbieta Cipora; Marian Sygit; Anna Pacian; Maryna Surmach; Dorota Kaleta; Adam Rzeźnicki Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-04-16 Impact factor: 3.390