| Individuals need to take responsibility for their health to decrease the impact of chronic disease on society. Knowledge of healthy actions does not always translate to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Studies have addressed this gap through interventions to objectively measure and generalize findings, ignoring the contextual and heterogeneous nature of individuals' lifestyle choices. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding about how and why women make the leap from knowing what is healthy to doing it and how they sustain the actions over time. Several behavior change models, including the theory of planned behavior, served as the theoretical foundation. The narrative inquiry method was employed, and empirical materials were autobiographies, researcher's notes, and interview transcripts. Purposive and criterion based sampling was used; participants self-identified as having a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise, and not smoking. Three-dimensional narrative inquiry space guided narrative analysis. The study revealed the women sustain healthy lifestyles when they have: belief that their actions lead to valued benefits, self-efficacy for specific actions, and experience of (and desire for more) tangible results. They required knowledge, time, support, and resources to sustain their lifestyles. Their motivations were setting examples, avoiding disease, maximizing health, and looking and feeling good. Results suggested that individual behavior should be addressed comprehensively by integrating traditional theories of health change and behavior with human stories. This study contributes to positive social change through increased understanding about health action decision-making that can lead to reducing the impact of chronic disease on society through personal responsibility for health. |
