The effects of life events on the performance of health-promoting behaviors of young and middle aged men.

The health-promoting behaviors (HPB) of men ages 20 to 50 years old (n = 61) were studied in relationship to the number and quality of life change events (LCE) they had experienced. The sample was divided into young men, age 20 to 34 (n = 29) and middle age men (n = 32) to determine if there were any age-related differences in the performance of HPB and the experience of LCE. This study utilized the Health Promotion Model as well as the Life-Span Developmental theory, as theoretical frameworks to guide this research. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) was used to gather data on HPB. The Life Experiences Survey was used to gather data on LCE. Data on HPB and LCE were analyzed using a series of independent t-tests to determine if there were any differences between group means on the measures of HPB and life experiences. Though the younger group scored slightly higher on measures of HPB, there were no significant differences between groups. The older groups scored higher on measures of LCE, but again there were no significant differences. Pearson Product Moment correlations and Spearman's rho were calculated for selected variables. The result of these analyses suggest a positive, significant correlation between HPB and church support (p<.001) and positive, significant correlations between number of years married and positive life events (p =.025). Analysis of individual items on the HPLP allowed the researcher to identify several specific HPB with low levels of performance by this sample of men. This finding has strong implications for Nursing;, by allowing nurses and other health care providers to identify specific behaviors that can be targeted for intervention with male patients.