. Samaneh Zanjani; . Azar Tol; . Bahram Mohebbi; . Roya Sadeghi; . Keramat Nouri Jalyani; . Azita Moradi
Volume 5, Issue 5 , December 2015, , Pages 1-5
Abstract
Background: Medical and health advances have led to relative increases in human longevityand elderly population. Common diseases in elders can be prevented using healthy lifestyle.Identifying ...
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Background: Medical and health advances have led to relative increases in human longevityand elderly population. Common diseases in elders can be prevented using healthy lifestyle.Identifying current status of the elderly is necessary to design educational intervention programsto improve their health and quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the lifestyle ofthe elderly in Islamshar (suburban of Tehran). Materials and Methods: A descriptive – analyticalstudy conducted among 480 elderly people over 60 years old referred to Islamshahr HealthCenter of Tehran University of Medical Sciences for a period of 12 months in 2012–2013. Datawere collected through at two‑part questionnaire including sociodemographic and health‑relatedcharacteristics and healthy lifestyle instrument. Healthy lifestyle of the elderly was assessedusing a 46 items self‑report standard instrument with five subscales reflecting domains includingexercise, nutrition, prevention, stress management, and social relationship. Finally, the dataobtained were analyzed using the SPSS 18 software using an independent t‑test, analysis ofvariance and ordinal logistic regression test at a significant level of P < 0.05. Results: Meanscore of total healthy lifestyle was 148.56 ± 11.5. Men and women scored 151.95 ± 11.15 and145 ± 10.32, respectively (P < 0.001). 76.2% of participants had moderately healthy lifestyle,and 23.8% had desirable healthy lifestyle. Marital status and gender were important factorsin elderly healthy lifestyle. Discussion: The status of a healthy lifestyle among the elderly inIslamshar was relatively moderate. However, more studies are needed for further information toconfirm study results. Study results were posed the necessity of tailoring specific interventionalprograms to achieve desirable healthy lifestyle.
