Older people perceived health as going and doing something meaningful
QUESTION: What constitutes and contributes to the health of older people?
Design
Grounded theory type analysis.
Setting
Healthcare facilities of a group practice health maintenance organisation in the US.
Participants
22 older individuals who were randomly selected from those whose reported perceived health differed from that predicted by a regression model constructed from data from a randomised trial of a primary care intervention.
Methods
Semistructured interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes and took place in participants' homes or in healthcare facilities. Questions targeted perceptions of health; wellbeing; valued abilities, activities, and relationships; social support; control; sense of coherence; and personal outlook. Analysis of the interviews employed grounded theory type immersion into the material. This process led to the identification of a central phenomenon and the relation of other factors with it.
Main findings
For these older individuals, health meant going and doing something meaningful. Going meant more than mobility and doing meant more than physical function. Going and doing did not have to involve physical activity, but required 4 …
