Determinants of health -promoting behavior among men age 45 and older

The purpose of this research was to examine and explain health-promoting behaviors among middle-age and older men. The Health Promotion Model (HPM) was used as the framework for this study. Survey research methods were employed to measure perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, demographic factors, self-rated health, (independent variables) and health-promoting behaviors (dependent variables). A total of 191 usable surveys were returned for a response rate of 39.2%. Men in the study were active employees or retirees from a Midwestern university or members of an American Legion Post.;The majority of subjects (91.6%) reported their race as White, 3.7% as Black, and the remaining 4.7% in other race categories. Subjects' average age was 66.1 years, with a mean of 15.9 years of education. Median reported annual household income was in the ;Regression models were developed using the independent variables to predict variance in health-promoting behaviors. Marital status, residing status, and race were excluded from the models because of lack of diversity in these variables. Overall, 66% of the variation in total health-promoting behaviors (HPB) was accounted for by the independent variables. A similar model was created for exercise HPB, and nutrition HPB. For exercise HPB, 65% was explained by the independent variables. For nutrition 53% of the variance was accounted for by the independent variables. Partial correlations revealed that self-efficacy was the most important predictor for all three models. Age was a statistically significant predictor for total HPB and nutrition HPB, while self-rated health was a predictor for exercise HPB.;Future research opportunities should attempt to reach a more diverse population. In addition, future efforts should focus on developing and testing strategies to enhance self-efficacy.