Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the current status quo of health self-help behavior of elderly in a community and its influencing factors using a semi-structured interview in a qualitative study.

Methods: A phenomenological method is employed for purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods. The elderly (>60 years old), who had lived in the Minhang District of Shanghai for >5 years, with an annual residence duration ≥10 months, were selected. Data were collected in person by a semi-structured and an in-depth interview; the topics were identified according to data arrangement, analysis, and coding.

Results: A total of 10 subjects were enrolled, from Pujiang Town, Minhang District of Shanghai. The cohort constituted of 7 males and 3 females, aged 60-68 years, with an average of (63.40±9.19) years. After data arrangement and analysis, the following topics were obtained: (1) various forms of health self-help behaviors existed among elderly in the community; (2) some factors influenced the health self-help behavior among the elderly in the community; (3) a deviation was observed in the health self-help behavior among the elderly in the community.

Conclusion: The health self-help behaviors of the elderly in the community should be rectified to carry out self and the environmental establishment of the health self-help behaviors of the elderly in the community, as well as, to guide and develop the personalized health self-help behavior program.

Key words: The elderly, Health self-help behavior, Influencing factors