Health indicators predict lifestyle in retired female teachers

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify sociodemographic variables and health indicators capable of predicting lifestyle (LS) in forty retired teachers participating in a university extension project. This is a cross-sectional study, quantitative in nature and inferential in nature. An assessment form was used to record the participants' personal, sociodemographic data and health indicators. To assess LS, the questionnaire called ‘Individual Lifestyle Profile’ was used, consisting of the components of nutrition, physical activity, preventive behavior, social relationships and stress control. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple linear regression presented two statistical models to explain the variability in the LS of retired teachers (p < 0.05). In the first, the number of falls was the only predictor (β = - 0.411; t = - 2.776; p = 0.008), but with a medium effect size (R² = 0.169). In the second model, sedentary behavior (SB) was added (ΔR² = 0.098; ΔF = 4.942; p = 0.032) and was also a significant predictor for LS (β = - 0.315; t = - 2.223; p = 0.032) of volunteers. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the number of falls and SB, taken together, were able to explain 26.7% of the variability in the volunteers' LS, which corresponded to a large effect size. This is an important outcome, as information about the factors that affect LS in this target audience is still limited.