1Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital 2College of Nursing, The Catholic University of Korea
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify health promoting lifestyle patterns (HPLP) and health perception (HP), and related factors, in elderly people using welfare service centers. Methods: Three hundred elders were interviewed using a structured questionnaire through convenience sampling at two welfare centers. Data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 12.0 program. Results: Most of the elders had some kind of diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, or osteoarthritis. The mean HPLP score was 2.53, and significant differences were found according to the elders' general characteristics. The sub-domain nutrition had the highest mean score, and stress management and exercise, the lowest. The mean HP score was 3.38, and significant differences were found according to education level and number of underlying diseases. HPLP showed a correlation with HP. Conclusion: The results indicate that elders have poor practices in stress management and exercise reflecting need for community based stress management programs for welfare service centers elderly clients.