J Korean Acad Womens Health Nurs.  1996 Mar;2(1):119-134.

Health Promoting Lifestyle, Hardiness and Gender Role Characteristics in Middle-Aged Women

• Suh YO

Abstract

Recently, there has been increase perception of health promotion with development of the economic state and science. Individual's responsibility and psychosocial factors have impacted on the individual's lifestyle. Health promotion can be maintained or improved through changes of lifestyle of individuals. Also, there has been supported results of health behavior health has been focused on menopausal symptom and reproductive organ. Until recently, little research has been available on the health or health care of midlife women. The purpose of this study was to explain relationship between health promoting lifestyle and hardiness, gender role characteristics. A total of 254 items of data were obtained from randomly selected subjects. The data collected from the interviews were analyzed using SPSS, yielding frequency, mean. t-test, ANOVA, Pearson Correlation, Stepwise multiple regression. The result of this study are as follows : 1) For the health promoting lifestyle, the mean score was 116.3, the highest score was nutrition(3.30) and interpersonal support(2.86), the lowest score was exercise(1.68). The highest subscale for the hardiness was committment(2.44). Also for the gender role characteristics was higher than median score(37.8). 2) There was a statistically difference the demographic variables. A total health promotion lifestyle was predicted by income and marriage satisfaction, hardiness was predicted by education, income, marriage satisfaction, support person and gender role characteristics was predicted by education. 3) With regard to the relationship among health promoting lifestyle, hardiness, gender role characteristics, the correlation coefficient between health promoting lifestyle and hardiness was r=-.48, p<.001. Also there were significant correlation between health promoting lifestyle and gender role characteristics(r=.22, p<.01), hardiness and gender role characteristics(r=-.39, p<.001). 4) A stepwise multiple regression analysis was done on the total health promoting lifestyle score using the demographic variables, hardiness subscale and gender role characteristics for independent variables. A total of 25% of the variance was explained inthe total health promoting lifestyle by the control, challenge and marriage satisfaction. In conclusion, hardiness and gender role characteristics were engaged in health promoting activity in midlife women. This study also provides new information about the health practices that midlife women report they practice. Therefore, nursing intervention to increase women's health have to be planed program that consider on the basis the results of this study.

MeSH Terms

Delivery of Health Care
Education
Female
Gender Identity*
Health Behavior
Health Promotion
Humans
Life Style*
Marriage
Nursing
Psychology
Women's Health