Perceptions of health across the lifespan

1
Perceptions of health across the lifespan
2
What prompted the survey?

• To examine how people view health across the
  lifespan
• Establish the feasibility of a database for
  longitudinal study of health and perceptions of
  health across the lifespan
• Gain data to use in expanding a course on healthy
  aging

3
Data Collection

• Over 1000 respondents
• Not a random sample
• Online survey, took 5-10 minutes to complete
• No personal identifiers
• YMCA helped with recruitment

4
Sample Descriptives

• Wide range of ages
• 20s 12
• 30s 21
• 40s 29
• 50s 28
• 60s 8
• 70s 2
• 73 female

• Highly educated 91 had at least some college
• 81 CA residents
• All participants have internet access

5
Q1 Current health status
Very poor
Average
Excellent
6
Nurture
Nature
7
Perceived greatest influence on personal health
8
Perceived greatest influence on longevity
9
Behavioral Risk Factors

• Obesity/Overweight
• Feeling tense or anxious
• Feeling sad or depressed
• Smoking
• Not exercising
• Not eating enough fruits and vegetables
• Not limiting alcohol consumption
• Eating too much saturated fat

10
Accounting for variance in current health status
55
11
Accounting for variance in satisfaction with
current health
42
12
Accounting for variance in amount of health
behaviors
51
13
Accounting for variance in commitment to health
behaviors
40
14
Accounting for variance in health status in 1
year
64
15
Accounting for variance in health status in 5
years
53
16
Accounting for variance in health status in 10
years
46
17
Accounting for variance in health status in 20
years
40
18
Accounting for variance in predicted age of dying
18
19
Accounting for variance in number of chronic
conditions
32
20
Age vs. risk factors

• Risk factors, as compared to age, accounts for
  more variance in
• Current health status
• Satisfaction with current health
• Amount of health behaviors
• Commitment to future health behaviors
• Predicted future health (in 1, 5, 10, and 20
  years)
• Predicted age of dying
• Age accounts for more variance only for number of
  chronic conditions.

21
Nature vs nurture

• 70 of respondents perceive lifestyle factors to
  be the greatest influence on health.
• Only half of the respondents perceive lifestyle
  to be the greatest influence on longevity.
• Genetics is perceived to have a greater influence
  on longevity than health.
• The data reveal that risk factors have a much
  stronger relationship with most health variables
  than does age.
• The one exception is that age is most closely
  associated with number of chronic conditions.

22
Past, Current, and Future Health Status
23
Predictors of Current Health Status

• Model accounts for 55 of variance in health
  status
• Variables associated with better current health
  include
• Better health status one year ago
• Engaging in health promotive behaviors
• Older predicted age of dying
• Fewer chronic diseases
• Higher income

We did not include satisfaction with current
health as a possible predictor.
24
Predictors of health status in 10 years

• Model accounts for 46 of the variance in future
  health ratings
• Higher predicted future health is associated with
  
• Better current health
• High commitment to health promotive behaviors
• Older predicted age of dying
• Younger age
• Recognizing that lifestyle influences longevity
• Engaging in health promotive behaviors
• Higher educational level

25
Predictors of health status in 20 years

• Model accounts for 40 of the variance in future
  health ratings
• Higher predicted future health is associated
  with
• Better current health
• Older predicted age of dying
• High commitment to health promotive behaviors
• Younger age
• Engaging in health promotive behaviors
• Higher educational level

26
Q1 Current health status
Very poor
Average
Excellent
27
Past, current, future health status, by decade
28
Past, current, and future health status, by risk
factors
29
Past, current, and future health status, by risk
factors
30
Current vs. Predicted Future Health
20 yo
30 yo
20 yo
60 yo
50 yo
40 yo
30 yo
50 yo
40 yo
20s
60s
70s
50s
30s
40s
31
Relationship among perceived health, risk
factors, and age
32
Predictors of satisfaction with current health

• Model accounts for 42 of variance in
  satisfaction
• Variables associated with higher satisfaction
  with current health include
• Better health status one year ago
• Fewer behavioral risk factors
• Older predicted age of dying
• Engaging in health promotive behaviors

We did not include current health status as a
possible predictor.
33
Health ratings, by decade
Ratings
34
who feel younger than their age, by decade
53
35
who feel younger than their age, by risk factor
53
36
Q3 Satisfaction with Current Health
Not at all
Somewhat
Very
37
Q1(Current Health) vs Q3 (Satisfaction with
Health)
38
who are more than somewhat satisfied with
health, by decade
62
39
who are more than somewhat satisfied with
health, by risk factor
62
40
Relationship among perceived health, risk
factors, and age

• Respondents with fewer risk factors
• Rate their health as higher
• Were more likely to feel younger than their
  chronological age
• Were more likely to be satisfied with their
  health
• Perceptions of current health, and satisfaction
  with current health, increase slightly with age.
• Across all ages, health satisfaction is closely
  tied to current health.

41
Anxiety and Depression, by decade
Ratings
42
Q4 Q5 Importance of health to career and life
goals
Importance to career
Importance to life goals
43
Health behaviors
44
Q9 Amount of health promotive actions
Nothing
Some
A lot
All possible actions
45
Q10 Commitment to health behaviors in the next 6
months
Somewhat
Extremely
Not at all
46
Q9 (Amount of health behaviors) vs Q10
(Commitment to health behaviors)
47
Commitment to health behaviors

• There is a substantial positive correlation
  between the extent to which individuals currently
  practice health behaviors and their commitment
  to practice health behaviors in the next six
  months.
• Thus, those who already engage in a healthy
  lifestyle are more likely to continue, while
  those not practicing health behaviors are less
  likely to begin practicing them in the future.

48
Reasons for health-promotive behaviors
49
Reasons for health promotive behaviors, by gender
significant, p lt .05
50
Select one behavior to change
Change career, drink more water, sleep more
51
Risk factors and chronic conditions across the
decades
52
Perceived health and health behaviors across the
decades
Ratings
53
Trends across the decades
54
Predicting age of dying

• Model accounts for 18 of the variance in future
  health ratings
• Higher predicted age of dying is associated with
• Higher perceived current health
• Fewer behavioral risk factors

55
Predicted age of dying, by decade
56
of years you could add to your life by doing
health behaviors
57
Predicted age of dying, by decade
58
Question

• If respondents realize that they could add up to
  25 years to their life by doing health promotive
  behaviors, why arent they doing those health
  promotive behaviors?

59
Predictors of number of chronic diseases

• Model accounts for 32 of variance in chronic
  conditions
• Having a greater number of chronic diseases is
  associated with
• Older age
• Poorer self-rating of health
• Feeling sad or depressed
• Higher commitment to practicing health behaviors

60
Number of chronic diseases, by decade
61
Take Aways
62
Number of chronic conditions does increase with
age
63
Risk factors influence health more than do
chronic conditions
64
Health behaviors influence health more than do
chronic conditions
65
Risk factors have more influence on health than
does age
66
Health behaviors influence health more than does
age
67
Importance of risk factors

• Respondents with fewer risk factors have
• Higher perceived current health
• Higher perceived future health
• Higher satisfaction with current health

68
Importance of health behaviors

• Respondents who engage in a healthier lifestyle
  have
• Higher perceived current health
• Higher perceived future health
• Higher satisfaction with current health

69
Old age Poor health
70
People have many motivators for a healthy
lifestyle
I want to manage my weight.
I want moreenergy forwork.
I want better health.
71
Predictions about future health arent always
accurate

• Predictions about health in 30s and 40s were
  overly optimistic.
• Predictions about health in 50s, 60s, and 70s
  were unduly pessimistic.

72
How will you spend your old age?
OR