A comparison of health promotion behaviors in rural and urban community-dwelling spousal caregivers.

Two decades of research describes the physical and mental stress experienced by caregivers, with little attention given to health promotion issues. The goal of this descriptive study was to identify and compare the health promotion behaviors (HPBs) used by older rural and urban women providing spousal care. Seventy-two women completed the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II) and a demographic survey. The most frequently reported HPBs related to interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, and stress management, while the least frequent related to physical activity. No significant differences existed on mean scores of the six subscales and overall HPLP-II of the rural and urban sample population.