Analyzing Motivational Factors to Predict Health Behaviors among Older Adults

Song, Rhayun

Abstract

PURPOSE: The positive effects of health behaviors in older population are well recognized, but maintenance of health habits was more difficult than initiation. The purposes of the study were to identify predictors of health behavior based on motivation theories, and to analyze predicting power of motivational factors to explain health behaviors in older adults.
METHODS
The data were collected from older adults either institutionalized or living in the community. Total of 159 subjects with 72 years old in average were recruited for an interview. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis were utilized to analyze the data with age, residential type, and motivational variables.
RESULTS
The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that age and residential type explained 3% of variance in health behaviors (F=3.705, p=0.027). When motivational variables were entered, additional 56.9% of variance were explained by the model (F=33.275, p<0.001). Among motivational variables, perceived benefits was the most important variable (beta=0.346, t=4.582, p<0.001), followed by self efficacy, emotional salience, and perceived barriers.
CONCLUSION
Considering the importance of each motivational variable, the focus of intervention strategies to assist older adults to maintain health behaviors should be on modifiable and important motivational variables, such as self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers, and emotional salience.