Purpose : This study was done to investigate the practice level of 14 health behaviors in 5 dimensions in elderly people in Korea and to examine the barriers and barriers scores for each health behavior.
Method : Data were collected from 350 elderly people (60 years and older) living in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients were used in data analysis.
Results : 1) The mean score on performance of total health behavior in elderly people was 2.50 (range 1-4). Mean scores for each health behavior dimension were as follows : restriction on substance use 3.47, nutrition 2.58, disease prevention 2.30, exercise 2.05, stress management 2.03. 2) Health behaviors with higher barrier scores were restriction of smoking, 2.16 (range 1-3), restriction of alcohol consumption, 1.85, use of social support, 1.77, restriction of fat and cholesterol, 1.74. But regular meals, a balanced diet, and vaccination had relatively low barrier scores. 3) There were significant negative correlations between the performance level of health behavior and barrier scores in 11 of the 14 health behaviors´ - 0.364 ~ - 0.121, P<0.05).
Conclusion : Results suggest the necessity of encouraging the performance of health behaviors in elderly people, especially the dimensions of exercise and stress management. Strategies to reduce the main barriers of each health behavior are needed to increase health behaviors in elderly people.
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