Correlates of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors for employed, midlife women

A non-experimental, descriptive study of the correlates of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors was conducted with a convenience sample of employed, midlife women (N = 126). The Health Promotion Model by Pender (1987) provided the theoretical framework for the study and guided the placement of the variables. The correlates of perceived health status, social support, occupation, and selected demographics were measured by confidential questionnaires administered to employed women (35-45 years of age) who belonged to a networking organization.

Results for each independent variable measured by a questionnaire were: Perceived health status as measured by the MOS Short-form General Health Survey (M = 78.99, SD 10.07), social support as measured by the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (M = 31.27, SD 6.58), and occupation as measured by the Hollingshead Occupational Scale (M = 7.47, SD 1.09). Multiple Regression was used to examine the relationship between perceived health status, social support, selected demographics and health-promoting lifestyle profile. Results indicated that perceived health status and social support had a significant relationship to health-promoting lifestyle profile at p $\le$.01. Pearson's Correlation measured the degree of correlation between these significant independent variables and indicated redundancy which impacted the predictability for both variables. Social support accounted for 34% of the variability of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors. The variability from social support was stable regardless of effects from perceived health status. Social support was the single greatest predictor of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors in this sample of employed, midlife women.