Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Factors influencing a health promoting lifestyle in spouses of Active Duty military.
Journal Name
Health Care for Women International
Journal Volume
34
Issue Number
8
Page Numbers
674-693
DOI
10.1080/07399332.2012.736572
Summary
Health-promoting activities are important for individuals' well-being. Female military spouses completed surveys about their lifestyles in order to examine factors that influence female military spouses' participation in health-promoting activities. Results revealed that social support, stress level, perceived health status, and self-efficacy were all related with female military spouses' health-promoting activities.
Key Findings
Perceived health status, self-efficacy, social support, and participation in health-promoting behaviors were all positively associated with each other and negatively associated with perceived stress.
Military spouses who perceived lower level of stress and higher level of social support were more likely to participate in health-promoting behaviors.
Compared to White military spouses, those who were not White were more likely to have lower scores in physical activity, nutrition, and social support.
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate military spouses about ways to increase their health-promoting activities
Disseminate information to military spouses regarding resources that may reduce their stress levels and increase their social support
Develop online modules that teach effective relationship building strategies for Service members and their spouses, especially during deployment
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage the development and continuation of programs that promote well-being of military spouses
Develop an awareness campaign on military bases regarding health-promoting activities and how high stress levels may reduce such activities
Recommend training for professionals working with military spouses regarding the unique factors that contribute to military spouses' well-being (e.g., perceived stress, social support)
Methods
Participants were recruited by posting advertisements at a military primary care facility.
Participants were surveyed regarding their perceived health status, perceived stress, self-efficacy, social support, and participation in health-promoting behaviors (e.g., spiritual growth, nutrition).
Data were analyzed to examine the relationship between perceived health status, perceived stress, self-efficacy, social support, and participation in health-promoting behaviors.
Participants
Participants were 112 female spouses of Active Duty Service members and the average age of the sample was 33.5 years (SD = 7.79).
Most participants were White (65%), followed by Black (22%), Latino (8%), Asian American (2%), and others (3%).
The military branches that participants' spouses served in were Army (53%), Navy (19%), Air Force (20%), Marines (3%), and Coast Guard (5%).
Limitations
Participants were all female military spouses, so results of the study may not be generalized to male military spouses.
Participants were all recruited from a medical clinic, which represents an increased likelihood that they have poorer health compared to a non-clinical sample and may not reflect the broader population of military spouses.
The cross-sectional design of the study made it impossible to investigate the causal relationship between perceived stress and health-promoting activities.
Avenues for Future Research
Include both male and female military spouses so that the results can be better generalized to the broader population of military spouses
Conduct longitudinal studies to explore the potential causal relationships between stress and health-promoting activities
Examine other factors (e.g., number of children, education level) that may influence military spouses' health-promoting activities
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to understand the factors influencing the health promoting behaviors (HPBs) ofmilitary spouses. Pender’s
Health Promotion Model provided the theoretical framework guiding this study. One hundred twelve female spouses were surveyed regarding their perceived health status, perceived stress, self-efficacy, social support, and participation in HPBs. Perceived health status,
self-efficacy, social support, and HPBs were positively related, whereas perceived stress was negatively related. Hierarchical multiple
regression analysis showed perceived stress and social support to be predictive of an overall health promoting lifestyle (HPLPII), with the full model explaining 49.7% of the variance.
Health Promotion Model provided the theoretical framework guiding this study. One hundred twelve female spouses were surveyed regarding their perceived health status, perceived stress, self-efficacy, social support, and participation in HPBs. Perceived health status,
self-efficacy, social support, and HPBs were positively related, whereas perceived stress was negatively related. Hierarchical multiple
regression analysis showed perceived stress and social support to be predictive of an overall health promoting lifestyle (HPLPII), with the full model explaining 49.7% of the variance.
Abstract Document
Attach