Model Testing

Proposed Topic: Health Promotion among Older Americans

Outline:

1. Description of Health Promotion & Older Americans
* Describe health promotion behaviors (Becker & Arnold, 2004; Resnick, 2003a)
* Describe older Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013)
* Discuss the health promotion behaviors recommended for older Americans – need reference(s)
2. Relevance and significance of health promotion behaviors in older Americans
* Current levels of engagement in health promotion behaviors among older Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013; Becker & Arnold, 2004)
* Why is health promotion important for older Americans? (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2015)
3. Impact of health promotion behaviors on health, health status, and healthcare in the United States
* Correlation between health promotion behaviors and the development of disease—need reference(s)
* Correlation between health promotion behaviors and quality of life – need reference(s)
* Correlation between health promotion behaviors and the utilization and cost of health care services –need reference(s)
4. Challenges and barriers to the engagement in health promotion behaviors by older Americans
* The most common reasons cited by older Americans for not having diagnostic tests, e.g., mammograms are advanced age, not being told to by their primary health care provider, and having no interest in pursuing abnormal findings (Resnick, 2003b)
* The presence of chronic illness, a lower degree of physical and mental health, and declines in cognitive status directly or indirectly negatively influences older adults’ participation in health promotion (Resnick, 2003b)
* The main barriers to health promotion program participation for older adults are health issues, time issues, and fear of exercise (Wright, 2008)

References:

Becker, C.M. & W. Arnold. (2004). Health promoting behaviors of older Americans versus young and middle aged adults. Educational Gerontology, 30, 835–844.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2013). The State of Aging and Health in America 2013.

CDC – State of Aging and Health in America (SAHA) – Aging – Healthy Aging for Older Adults
This report series provides the most current data on 15 key indicators of older adult health at the national and state levels.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). Healthy People 2020.
Older Adults | Healthy People 2020
Goal Improve the health, function, and quality of life of older adults.

Overview

As Americans live longer, growth in the number of older adults is unprecedented. In 2014, 14.5% (46.3 million) of the US population was aged 65 or older and is projected to reach 23.5% (98 million) by 2060.

1 Aging adults experience higher risk of chronic disease. In 2012, 60% of older adults managed 2 or more chronic conditions.2

Resnick, B. (2003a). Health promotion practices of older adults: Model testing. Public Health Nursing, 20(1): 2-12

Resnick, B. (2003b). Health promotion practices of older adults: Testing an individualized approach. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 12, 46–55.

Wright, T. (2008). Principal barriers to health promotion program participation by older adults (dissertation).