Health-promoting Lifestyle And The Influencing Factors Among Aged Care Workers

ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the health-promoting lifestyle of aged care workers,to analyze the influence factors of health-promoting lifestyle in aged care workers,and to provide effective reference to improve health-promoting lifestyle status of aged care workers.MethodsWith cross-sectional descriptive design and convenience sampling,285 aged care workers from Hangzhou were investigated by Demographic Questionnaire,Perceived Health Status Scale,Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II,Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practice Scale,Laffrey Health Conception Scale,and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire.Result1.The total score of health-promoting lifestyle in care worker was 114.75±9.46.The score of the interpersonal relations was23.80±3.16,the score of the nutrition was19.49±2.10,the score of the health responsible was19.84±2.40,the score of the spiritual growth was19.17±3.66,the score of the stress management was17.58±2.98,the score of the physical activity was14.86±2.26.Six dimensions were standardized,the highest mean score was interpersonal relations physical activity,besides health responsible,stress management,nutrition,and spiritual growth were at a descending order successively.2.The average score of 52 items in health-promoting lifestyles for aged care workers is 2.21±0.18.Among 10 items with the lowest scores,there are 3 items related to nutrition,3 items related to physical activity,2 items related to health responsibility,1 item related to self-realization and 1 item related to pressure.3.Perceived health statue scale,Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practice Scale,Laffrey Health Conception Scale,and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire of nursing assistant scored 6.21±1.13,47.67±12.50,130.12±7.33,64.51±7.15 respectively.4.The results of univariate analysis showed that the scores of health-promoting lifestyles exhibit significant differences in statistics(p < 0.05)among different aged care workers with different genders,educational levels,numbers of persons to care,and regional believes.The total scores of health-promoting lifestyles are positively proportion to perceived health status,perceived self-efficacy,health conception and job satisfaction.5.The results of multivariate analysis showed that there are six variables –gender,educational levels,number of persons to care,regional belief,perceived health status,and perceived self-efficacy– entering the regression equation,which can explain 61.5% differences in health-promoting lifestyles of aged care workers.Conclusions1.The level of health-promoting lifestyles of the aged care workers in Hangzhou city is medium.Among the six dimensions of health-promoting lifestyles,interpersonal relation performs best,followed by health responsibility,pressure management,nutrition,self-realization,and physical activity performs worst.2.The main problems in the health-promoting lifestyles of the aged care workers in Hangzhou city include: they are seriously lack of sleep and lack of stress self-regulating knowledge and skills;they do not know how to choose low-fat and low-cholesterol food,do not pay attention to reading food labels,and cannot guarantee to drink milk,yogurt or soy milk every day;they rarely pay attention to their own internal needs,ignoring to pursuit their realization of self-worth and social values;and they are not well aware of the goodness of physical exercises to their health,seriously lack of physical activities,and their exercise duration is short,intensity is small,without pulse counted.3.The influence factors of the health-promoting lifestyles of the aged care workers in Hangzhou city include: gender,educational level,number of persons to care,regional belief,perceived health status,and perceived self-efficacy,which can explain 61.5% differences in health-promoting lifestyles of aged care workers.Our conclusions include: first,the level of health-promoting lifestyles of female aged care workers is higher than that of male aged care workers;secondly,the level of health-promoting lifestyles of the aged care workers who have regional believes is higher than that of the infidels;thirdly,the level of health-promoting lifestyles of those with higher educational levels is higher;fourthly,the level of health-promoting lifestyles of those with larger numbers of persons to care is lower;and finally,the higher of their perceived self-efficacy and the better of their perceived health status,the more they would like to adopt health-promoting lifestyles.