Assessing the Need for Health Promotion Programs in Nursing Homes

The purpose of this study was to assess health program needs, perceived health status, knowledge of available resources, and potential use of health promotion programs for elderly short-term residents in nursing homes. Subjects (N = 54) in four facilities, who were identified as likely to be discharged within three months, were interviewed using a survey designed for this study. Results indicated that 67 percent took good care of their health, 52 percent believed their health to be excellent or good, and 48 percent believed they had some control over their future health. Only 28 percent knew of the existence of any health promotion or education programs, 13 percent had ever attended one, and 45 percent did not know where to go or who to call for information about specific health programs. Subjects perceived the most needed programs to be exercises for arthritis and safety/accident prevention. One noteworthy finding was that those subjects who believed they had a great deal of control over their health also believed that they (1) were happy, (2) did a good job in caring for their health, (3) were more active and had more energy than others their age, and (4) also perceived a greater need for health promotion programs than did those who perceived themselves as having little or not control over their health.