Nordquist Hilla, Lallukka Tea, Valkonen Jatta, Joki Anu
Department of Healthcare and Emergency Care, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Kotka, 48100, Finland.
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 22;25(1):1892. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23072-w.
This salutogenic-oriented study focuses on weight management among retired individuals living with obesity. We also consider individuals' educational level, as higher education has been linked to enhanced health and well-being, and improved access to and utilization of various resources. Our research question was: How do retired individuals with low or high levels of education living with obesity implement weight management in their daily lives, from the salutogenic approach?
Twenty retired individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 kg/m participated in individual qualitative interviews in 2023. The participants were selected from a Helsinki Health Study cohort of retired former employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland. Half of the interviewees had a low level of education, and the other half had a high level of education. Women and men were equally represented. We analyzed the data using a deductive-inductive content analysis.
Four main categories were formed: 1) visionary life management; 2) daily life supporting well-being, 3) enjoying food as an essential part of life; and 4) feeling supported. The main categories had altogether eleven generic categories, and they further had eleven sub-categories. The main categories and most of the generic categories and sub-categories were similar across the low and high levels of education groups, but both groups still had specific characteristics.
A salutogenic orientation, which focuses on health and well-being rather than illness, was evident in many ways in how participants approached their weight management. Educational differences were moderate overall and hinted at specific characteristics of how the resources were utilized. Comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness were evident in the results for both educational groups. According to the results of this study, retired individuals living with obesity implement weight management strategies in their daily lives in ways that are suitable and meaningful for their individual circumstances. They make thoughtful yet enjoyable food choices, select forms of physical activity that motivate them, and spend active quality time with the important people in their lives.
这项以健康促进为导向的研究聚焦于肥胖退休人群的体重管理。我们还考虑了个人的教育水平，因为高等教育与增进健康和幸福感以及更好地获取和利用各种资源有关。我们的研究问题是：从健康促进的角度来看，肥胖的低教育水平或高教育水平退休人员在日常生活中如何进行体重管理？
2023年，20名体重指数（BMI）至少为30kg/m²的退休人员参与了个人定性访谈。参与者从芬兰赫尔辛基市退休前雇员的赫尔辛基健康研究队列中选取。一半受访者教育水平低，另一半教育水平高。男女比例均等。我们采用演绎-归纳内容分析法对数据进行分析。
形成了四个主要类别：1）前瞻性生活管理；2）支持幸福感的日常生活；3）将享受食物视为生活的重要组成部分；4）感到得到支持。主要类别共有11个一般类别，它们又进一步分为11个子类别。低教育水平组和高教育水平组的主要类别以及大多数一般类别和子类别相似，但两组仍有各自的特点。
参与者在进行体重管理的方式上，在很多方面都体现出了以健康促进为导向，即关注健康和幸福而非疾病。总体而言，教育差异适中，这暗示了资源利用方式的具体特点。两个教育水平组的结果都体现出了可理解性、可管理性和意义性。根据本研究结果，肥胖退休人员在日常生活中以适合其个人情况且有意义的方式实施体重管理策略。他们做出深思熟虑且愉快的食物选择，选择能激励自己的体育活动形式，并与生活中重要的人共度有意义的时光。
