Lifestyles of middle-aged people: implications for Primary Health Care practice

Objective: To identify how different factors influence the adoption of healthpromoting lifestyles among middle-aged people in Baixo Alentejo, Portugal.Method: Correlational and cross-sectional populationbased study in thirteen municipalities in Baixo Alentejo, Portugal.A self-report questionnaire was used to assess individual characteristics and experiences, risk behaviors, and the Health Promoting Lifestyles Profile Scale (HPLPII) in the version translated and validated for Portugal.Results: A total of 894 middleaged people (aged between 45 and 64 years), living in Baixo Alentejo, enrolled in one of the fourteen Primary Health Care functional units, responded.The typical profile that we can outline is as follows: average age 54 years, pre-obese, with at least one chronic disease, non-smoker, with low alcohol consumption, with a low overall score for the health-promoting lifestyle.Regarding the subscales that make up the HPLP II, Physical Activity was the one that presented the lowest score, Stress Management and Health Responsibility also presented low scores; the remaining subscales presented positive, although moderate, scores.In the inferential analysis carried out, the following aspects stand out: The Health-Promoting Lifestyle correlated negatively with age and BMI.There were significant differences in the Health-Promoting Lifestyle between men and women and also in people with and without chronic disease.A more positive self-perception of health status was associated with higher scores on the Health-Promoting Lifestyle.There was a positive and significant correlation between the variables "Education level", "Monthly family income", "Perceived self-efficacy" and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle.Conclusion: These results highlight that in order to achieve healthy ageing, specific interventions need to be developed for this age group, taking into consideration, the factors identified in this study and aiming not only to promote healthy lifestyles, but also to change behaviour.These interventions must be planned, implemented and evaluated with participants so that they become more aware of their lifestyle and the consequences it has on their health, making these interventions more effective.