Assessment of Lifestyle and Its Components in Elderly People Living in Tehran

Abstract

Background: Healthy lifestyle is effective on preventing common elderly diseases. This study was conducted to evaluate the elderlies' lifestyle and its components in Tehran in 2017. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with a descriptive-analytical design. The research population consisted of 200 elderly people from elderly care centers in Tehran City, Iran. A questionnaire, designed and validated by Babak et al., was used for lifestyle assessment. It dealt with dimensions of prevention, physical activity, exercise and entertainment, nutrition, stress management, as well as social and interpersonal relationships. Results: Results showed that the total score of lifestyle was 167.83 and 164.18 in men and women, respectively. Findings indicated that both genders were in good level of lifestyle and was no significant difference was observed between males and females (P < 0.05). A significant difference was observed between men and women in terms of stress and prevention components. The highest mean score of lifestyle was observed in prevention component of the participants who had associate degree (64.99 ± 5.89) and were single (60.75 ± 5.50). The lowest mean score of lifestyle was found in the field of exercise and entertainment in people who had elementary education degree (12.94 ± 4.12) and were divorced (13.00 ± 3.00). A significant relationship was found between age and nutritional area (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the low scores of exercise and entertainment in the elderly people, an educational program should be designed to improve lifestyle among the elderly.