The effect of educational program on health promotion behaviors on elderly life style

Increasing the lives of humans and adding elderly populations is one of the achievements of the 21st century, and aging is a phenomenon that some human societies encounter or will face. Choosing a healthy lifestyle in this age is important because of its ability to prevent diseases and improve the physical and mental health. This study was designed to determine the effect of health promoting behaviors on the life style of the elderly referred to Marvdasht health center. This quasi-experimental interventional study with 170 intervention and control groups referred to Marvdasht health center. It was performed in 1996-96. Sampling was done randomly from elderly patients referred to Marvdasht health center. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention (85 people) and control (85 people). The data gathering tool was a standard elderly lifestyle questionnaire. Individuals in the intervention group participated in planned training programs. Three months after the end of the intervention, post-test was performed in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software, Chi-square, mean and standard deviation, independent t-test and ANOVA. Based on the findings, the mean age of the elderly in the intervention and control group was 65.3 and 65.9, respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the three months after the intervention in the dimensions of exercise, prevention, nutrition, stress management, and interpersonal relationships in the elderly before and after the intervention (P = 0.001). The results of the research showed that education of health promotion behaviors is effective on improving lifestyle in the elderly. According to the results of this study, further interventions with the aim of increasing the awareness of the elderly regarding the improvement of lifestyle status seems necessary.