engleski

Health promoting behaviors and health locus of control influencing the quality of life in the elderly population through their involvement in physical activities

Around the world, two persons celebrate their sixtieth birthday every second. By the year 2050, one in six people in the world will be over the age of 65 (16%). The number of persons aged 80 years or above is projected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050. The proportion of the elderly in Croatia’s population is also increasing and today those older than 65 represent 17.8 % of the population. The Gerontological Society of America has a motto of “Adding life to years, not just more years to life!” This motto represents a challenge for us as a society in our attempt to improve the quality of life of the ageing population. According to the World Health Organisation, quality of life (QOL) includes physical and mental health, emotional well-being, as well as social functioning. Numerous psychological factors can influence health-promoting behaviours and quality of life. Health promoting behaviours and health locus of control can influence a person’s willingness to participate in physical activities and therefore make an impact on a person’s quality of life (QOL). The health locus of control represents the dimension to which a subject believes he or she can influence their health status. Socio-economic status and self-rated health can be associated with the health locus of control. Elderly subjects, women, and subjects with fewer years of education can show more external health locus of control. A comprehensive examination of health promoting behaviors and health locus of control could have significant implications in the design, promotion, and implementation of physical activity programs for the elderly and therefore have a positive impact on the quality of life of the elderly population.

elderly, health promoting behaviour, control locus, quality of life

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