Demeanor among the Central Age VS the Old Ones in Australia - Term Paper Example

Name Task Tutor Date Health promoting behavior between the middle age versus the old age people in Australia Abstract Health promoting behaviors are normally categorized as behaviors that makes a person moves towards optimal health at the same time reducing one’s susceptibility to diseases. The aims of this study are one, to determine whether there are age-group differences in the self-reporting physical health and psychological wellbeing of middle age and old age adults, two is to know whether there are age-group or gender differences in the extent to which middle age and old age adults engage in self reported health promoting behaviors, and lastly is to determine whether there is a relationship between health promoting behaviors, health, and wellbeing measures. This study involves a survey comprising of two age groups in Australia. That is the middle age of 40-50 years and older age of over 60 years. Each student will recruit two participants one from middle age and another from the old age. This will be done across the community by use of questionnaires. The groups of people that will not be involved in the study are those who are not in a position of completing online questionnaires in English language, those who are not feeling well to respond or fill questionnaires, or having a diagnosis of dementia or clinical depression. Introduction Health promotion is defined as the science or art of helping people to change their way of living and move towards a state of optimal health. The change in the way of living is facilitated through a combination of efforts to raise awareness, change behavior, and make an environment that support proper health practices. A process that is directed towards facilitating adults to carry out action, it is not something that is done to the people but it is done by the people. According to (Kathleen and Travers 2001), health promotion is a multi-factorial process that operates on personalities and communities. This process falls into 3 categories know as prevention, protection, and health education, this groups go hand in hand to provide the basis for health promotion activity. Prevention is the main concept of health promotion in developed countries, prevention suggest that there is capability to intervene in a casual process and that there are some specific risks to health that can be detected and managed (Howard and Silver 2007) Frequent engagement in healthy behaviors helps to improve quality of lives in middle age and older people. Older people who are suffering from chronic disabling conditions always face many obstacles in engaging in health behavior. This field of study compares the middle aged people between 40 and 50 years with the old age over 60 years on self reported well being, this involves moods, depression, anxiety, and stress; physical health ratings, which involves self reported health and chronic illness; and how they engage in behaviors that promotes ones health. It is perceived that well being among the old people in comparison to the middle aged adults have lower rates of anxiety and effective disorders. Practicing a healthy lifestyle is considered the best plan to decrease illness and enhance health and well being during ones life time. People who have greater feelings of autonomy, self determination and control over their health are always likely to get involved in health promotion behaviors. Recent research in Australia suggest that older people take care of their health more than the middle age adults and women are the majority in both categories in health promotion behaviors. The age group differences and relationships between health promoting behaviors and age, gender, psychological wellbeing, and perceived control over health are examined. In the study, age group difference and relationships between health promoting behaviors and age, gender, psychological wellbeing, and perceived control over health are examined. Methods Every student will recruit two participants from each age group and meets the required criteria. The students are the one who will facilitate the completion of online questionnaires by taking those who are participating in the survey through the study information page and answering any general questions. A hard copy of the information sheet should be given to each participant. Informed consent is obtained electronically and those participating will fill the questionnaires online. Sometimes the participants fill the paper and a pencil version of the test battery. If this process is carried out, the student will have to enter again the data into the online version of the questionnaire and must place the hard copies of the questionnaire and consent form in the envelope with her name. The questionnaires that were completed by the participants are one, the demographics which contain the age, gender, postcode of residence, years of education completed, and marital status living arrangements. Two is self-Reported Health and Medical History Questions and Current Medical Conditions, three is health Promoting Lifestyles Profile-II, four is Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale: DASS-21, fifth is Geriatric Depression Scale: GDS-15, and sixth is the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control. During the survey, the participant’s privacy should be respected and students should log into the website and remain around as the participants fill the questionnaires to answer any questions they may have. Students are not allowed to record the participant’s names. The variables that were being used to conduct the survey are age of the participant in years; the age group of the participant, either in middle age or old age; gender; medical history and chronic illness; education level; marital status, either single or married; DASS variable score in stress, anxiety, and depression; GDS mood; and total number of chronic diseases the participant has suffered from. Calculations and statistical analysis were performed by use of SPSS (statistical software packages). The accuracy of the data entry was verified by examining again the random sample of ten percent of the surveys. The data entered was found to be 99 percent correct. The relationship between personal factors that is age, income, education, and self related health was described by simple correlation coefficients as were the relationships between personal factors and health promoting behaviors. Results The mean average of the participants was found to be 65 years. More than half of the participants were found to be graduates. Respondents reported to have studied for between 8 to 25 years. When the income and education level of the participants were compared, it was found out that participants were better educated and earn better than the total population. When middle age and older people are compared, the older people have higher psychological well being and higher scores on health promotion behaviors in overall. Similarly women from both categories have higher health promoting behaviors than men. The middle age adults were found to have higher self related health and less chronic illness than older people. It exist a relationship between health promotion behaviors, the number of chronic illness, self related health, and well being. Discussion and Conclusion The benefits of healthy behaviors include reduction in the risk of contracting diseases such as cardiovascular, hibernation, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Physical activities should be properly planned and structured in order to obtain optimal benefits. Physical fitness can be achieved and cardiovascular risk brought down with a reduced possibility of causing musculoskeletal injury by getting involved in low and medium intensity exercise. It was found out that old people take care of their lives more than the middle age adults, that’s why those who died mostly from socially transmitted diseases, alcohol and accidents as a result of careless driving are normally the middle age adults. The middle age adults was found that they do not contract the chronic diseases more easily than the old age since they are still active hence doing a lot of exercise activities which helps the body resist chronic diseases unlike the old people. Works cited Carole l. Edelman and carol l. mandle. Health promotion throughout the life span. California: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2005 David S. Gochman. Handbook of health behavior research, Volume 1. New York: Springer, 1997. David Haber. Health Promotion and Aging: Practical Applications for Health Professionals. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2010. Howard S. Friedman and Roxane C. Silver. Foundations of health psychology. London: Oxford University Press, 2007. Stephanie FallCreek and Molly Mettler. (1984). A healthy old age: a sourcebook for health promotion with older adults. Chicago: Routledge, 1984. Thomas P. Gullotta and Martin Bloom. Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion. New York: Springer, 2003. Michael Patterson O'Donnell. Health promotion in the workplace. Sydney: Cengage Learning, 2001. Kathleen M. Thies and John F. Travers. Human growth and development through the lifespan. Richmond. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2001. Kathleen M. Thies. Quick Look Nursing: Growth and Development Through the Lifespan. Harvard: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2004. Ruth B. Murray and Judith P. Zentner. Health promotion strategies through the life span. Harvard: Prentice Hall, 2001. Read More