Abstrakt: |
Health professionals and medical sociologists have come to realize that we need to achieve a better balance between quantitative and qualitative research on lifestyle behaviors in order to produce sustainable behavior changes in the at-risk population. This study used a mixed-methods research design (466 standardized questionnaires, 40 qualitative responses, two focus groups) to better understand some of the key contextual complications in lifestyle practices in a largely Mormon population in Northern Utah. The mixed-method data show that social support is essential to achieving a healthy lifestyle based on the Alameda County seven-factor model. However, people in Utah who don't smoke or drink do not score as high on other lifestyle practices as one might expect. Other qualitative responses point to cold winters, stressful living, large families, inconsistent health information, genetics, and unfavorable views of old age as potential barriers to healthy lifestyle practices in this particular population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |