Health values and health-information-seeking in relation to positive change of health practice among middle-aged urban men

BACKGROUND: Preventive health practice is an important component of health promotion strategy. The objectives of this cohort study were to assess changes of health practices over 3 years among middle-aged Japanese men and to examine the factors related to their positive changes in lifestyle. METHODS: Three hundred thirty-four randomly selected men in Tokyo completed two face-to-face structured interviews, one in 1998 and the other in 2001. Daily health practices, health values, health-information-seeking, socioeconomic characteristics, and health status were assessed. A Health Practice Index (HPI) was calculated to reflect overall health behavior. According to the change of HPI, the mode of change in general health practice between the first and second interview was classified as positive change, no change, and negative change. RESULTS: Percentages of the subjects who engaged in eight identified healthy practices ranged from 31.7% to 54.5% at baseline. The follow-up interval revealed the adoption of each particular healthy or unhealthy practice as 5.7% to 33.6%. A high value placed on health independently associated with positive change of general health practice (OR = 2.95, 95% CI = 1.23 to 7.08), and inversely associated with negative change (OR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.18 to 1.10); consciously seeking health information associated with positive change (OR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.07 to 4.36) after controlling for socioeconomic and health status. CONCLUSION: Considerable opportunity remains for urban middle-aged men to further improve their health behavior. Health values saliency, sensitively designed health information, and health status perception, as well as socioeconomic status, should be considered for successful promotion of healthy lifestyle among the adult male population.