Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:48:15.490Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

From Cues to Action: Information Seeking and Exercise Self-Care among Older Adults Managing Chronic Illness*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Pak Hei Benedito Chou  and
Andrew V. Wister
Pak Hei Benedito Chou*
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre
Andrew V. Wister
Affiliation:
Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être addressées à : Pak Hei Benedito Chou, #2800–515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3. (phchou@sfu.ca)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Drawing from the health belief model, cues to action have been theorized to influence health behaviours; however, few studies have examined these constructs explicitly. This study investigated the relationship between information cues to action and exercise self-care. It was hypothesized that reading about illness information, knowing about services, and consulting with others about one's illness triggers exercise self-care. The sample consisted of 879 chronically ill adults aged 50 and over, drawn from the Vancouver North Shore Self-Care Study. It was found that the odds of exercising almost doubled for readers of information about illness (compared to non-readers), after controlling for socio-demographic factors, illness context, and illness efficacy. Furthermore, knowledge of services and consultations were shown to increase the odds of exercise self-care. These findings provide support for the salience of cues to action as a pivotal theoretical construct. The implications of these findings for health promotion programs targeting persons with chronic illnesses are discussed.

Résumé

À partir du mode`le de croyance à la santé, des pistes d'action visant à influencer les comportements en matière de santé ont été élaborées; cependant, peu d'études ont abordé ces concepts de façon explicite. La présente étude examine la relation entre l'autogestion de la santé et les informations pouvant pousser une personne à prendre des mesures. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse que les lectures comportant des renseignements sur les maladies, la connaissance des services, ainsi que la consultation d'autres personnes au sujet de sa propre maladie stimulaient une gestion autonome de la santé. L'échantillon, tiré du Vancouver North Shore Self—Care Study, était constitué de 879 adultes atteints de maladies chroniques et âgés de 50 ans et plus. Nous avons découvert que la probabilité de prendre des mesures d'autogestion de la santé était presque deux fois plus élevée chez les gens qui lisaient des informations sur la maladie (par comparaison avec ceux qui n'en lisaient pas), après avoir effectué des vérifications relatives aux facteurs sociodémographiques, au contexte de la maladie et à l'activité intrinsèque de la maladie. Par ailleurs, la connaissance des services et les consultations semblaient accroître la probabilité que l'on prenne des mesures d'autogestion de la santé. Ces résultats semblent démontrer l'importance des informations pouvant pousser les gens à prendre des mesures à titre de concept théorique fondamental. Les conséquences potentielles de ces résultats sur les programmes de promotion qui ciblent les personnes atteintes de maladies chroniques sont abordées.

Keywords

agingchronic diseasechronic illnesscues to actionhealth belief modelexerciseself-carevieillissementmaladie chroniquepistes d'actionmodèle de croyance à la santéexerciceautogestion de la sante
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , Winter/Hiver 2005 , pp. 395 - 408
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments.

References

Armitage, C.J., & Conner, M. (2000). Social cognition models and health behavior: A structural review. Psychology and Health, 15, 173–211.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Towards a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.Google Scholar
Clark, P.G. (1993). Moral discourse and public policy in aging: Framing problems, seeking solutions, and “public ethics.” Canadian Journal on Aging, 12, 485–508.Google Scholar
Dean, K., & Kickbusch, I. (1995). Health related behavior in health promotion: Utilizing the concept of self care. Health Promotion International, 10, 35–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gottlieb, B.H. (2000). Self-help, mutual aid, and support groups among older adults. Canadian Journal on Aging, 19(Suppl. 1), 58–74.Google Scholar
Haveman-Nies, A., de Groot, L., van Stavern, W.A. (2003). Dietary quality, lifestyle factors and healthy ageing in Europe: The SENECA Study. Age and Ageing, 32, 427–434.Google Scholar
Hayslip, B., Weigand, D., Weinberg, R., Richardson, P., & Jackson, A. (1996). The development of new scales for assessing health belief model constructs in adulthood. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 4, 307–323.Google Scholar
Janz, N.K., & Becker, M.H. (1984). The health belief model: A decade later. Health Education Quarterly, 11, 1–47.Google Scholar
Jones, T., Fowler, M.C., & Hubbard, D. (2000). Refining a tool to measure cues to action in encouraging health-promoting behavior: The CHAQ. American Journal of Health Promotion, 14, 170–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Juniper, K., Oman, R.F., Hamm, R.M., & Kerby, D.S. (2004). A theoretical approach to understanding physical activity behavior of African American women. American Journal of Health Promotion, 18, 354–357.Google Scholar
King, A.C., Rejeski, J., & Buchner, D. (1998). Physical activity targeting older adults: A critical review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 15, 316–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lavie d'Epinay, C.J., & Bickel, J-F. (2003). Do “young-old” exercisers feel better than sedentary persons? A cohort study in Switzerland. Canadian Journal on Aging, 22, 155–165.Google Scholar
Lorig, K., & Holman, H.R. (1989). Long-term outcomes of an arthritis self-management study: Effects of reinforcement efforts. Social Science and Medicine, 29, 221–224.Google Scholar
Mattson, M. (1999). Toward a reconceptualization of communication cues to action in the health belief model: HIV test counseling. Communication Monographs, 66, 240–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAuley, E., Lox, C., Rudolph, D., & Travis, A. (1994). Self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in exercising middle-aged adults. The Journal of Applied Gerontology, 13, 355–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCaul, K.D., Johnson, R.J., & Rothman, A.J. (2002). Effects of framing and action instructions on whether older adults obtain flu shots. Health Psychology, 21, 624–628.Google Scholar
McDonald-Miszczak, L., Wister, A.V., & Gutman, G.M. (2001). Self-care among older adults: An analysis of the objective and subjective illness contexts. Journal of Aging and Health, 13, 120–145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meillier, L.K., Lund, A.B., & Kok, G. (1997). Cues to action in the process of changing lifestyle. Patient Education and Counseling, 30, 37–51.Google Scholar
Miller, J.D., & Kimmel, L.G. (2001). Biomedical communications: Purposes, audiences, and strategies. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Morrongiello, B.A., & Gottlieb, B.H. (2000). Self-care among older adults. Canadian Journal on Aging, 19(Suppl. 1), 32–57.Google Scholar
Ory, M.G., & DeFriese, G.H. (1998). Self-care in later life: Research, program and policy issues. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Park, D.C. (1999). Aging and the controlled and automatic processing of medical information and medical intentions. In Park, D.C., Morrell, R.W., & Shifren, K. (Eds.), Processing of medical information in aging patients: Cognitive and human factors perspectives (pp. 3–22). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Rimal, R.N. (2001). Perceived risk and self-efficacy as motivators: Understanding individuals' long-term use of health information. Journal of Communication, 51, 633–654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rimer, B.K. (1997). Perspective on intrapersonal theories on health behavior. In Glanz, K., Lewis, F.M., & Rimer, B.K. (Eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 41–59). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Rosenstock, I.M. (1974). Historical origins of the health belief model. Health Education Monographs, 2, 328–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenstock, I.M., Strecher, V., & Becker, M. (1988). Social learning theory and the health belief model. Health Education Quarterly, 15, 175–183.Google Scholar
Shephard, R.J. (1997). Aging, physical activity, and health. Windsor, ON: Human Kinetics.Google Scholar
Strain, L.A. (1996). Lay explanations of chronic illness in later life. Journal of Aging and Health, 8, 3–26.Google Scholar
Strecher, V.J., & Rosenstock, I.M. (1997). The health belief model. In Glanz, K., Lewis, F.M., & Rimer, B.K. (Eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 41–59). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Terris, M. (1992). Concepts of health promotion: Dualities in public health theory. Journal of Public Health Policy, 13, 267–276.Google Scholar
Umeh, K., & Rogan-Gibson, J. (2001). Perceptions of threat, benefits, and barriers in breast self-examination among young asymptomatic women. British Journal of Health Psychology, 6, 361–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinstein, N.D. (1988). The precaution adoption process. Health Psychology, 7, 355–386.Google Scholar
Weinstein, N.D. (1993). Testing four competing theories of health-protective behavior. Health Psychology, 12, 324–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wister, A.V. (1992). Residential attitudes and knowledge, use, and future use of home support agencies. The Journal of Applied Gerontology, 11, 84–100.Google Scholar
Wister, A.V. (2003). It's never too late: Healthy lifestyles and aging [Editorial]. Canadian Journal on Aging, 22, 149–153.Google Scholar
Wister, A.V. & Romeder, Z. (2002). The chronic illness context and change in exercise self-care among older adults: A longitudinal analysis. Canadian Journal on Aging, 21, 521–534.Google Scholar
Wister, A.V., Chittenden, M., McCoy, B., Wilson, K., Allen, T., & Wong, M. (2002). Using alternative therapies to manage chronic illness among older adults: An examination of the health context and enabling factors. Canadian Journal on Aging, 21, 45–59.Google Scholar
Werner, P. (2003). Factors influencing intentions to seek a cognitive status examination: A study based on health belief model. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18, 787–794.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1983). Health education in self-care: Possibilities and limitations. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.Google Scholar