A life course study of the onset and continuity of preventive healthcare behaviors: The role of life events, adaptation processes, and personal control.

Abstract

Preventive healthcare is considered a cornerstone of good health and well-being that can play a major role in reducing a country's healthcare costs and improving both the length and quality of people's lives. Previous research on preventive healthcare behaviors has been predominantly cross-sectional, ignoring the dynamic nature of people's health behaviors over a full life span. This study offers the life course paradigm as a viable framework for studying the onset and continuity of three preventive healthcare behaviors-physical exercise, consumption of vitamins and mineral supplements, and regular physical examinations- at different stages in life. An online survey was used to collect the data and cox regression was performed to test hypotheses. A total of 790 respondents in Thailand were divided into three age groups-young adults (20-40), middle-aged adults (41-60), and older adults (61 or older)-for data analyses. The results reveal that the number of life events people experienced earlier in life significantly increases the likelihood of onset of physical exercise and consumption of vitamins and mineral supplements in a later life. However, this relationship does not appear to hold for regular physical check-ups. Contrary to the expectations, life events people experienced after the onset of a particular preventive healthcare behavior inconstantly influence the risk of discontinuation of such a behavior across age subsamples. The findings also support the notion that the longer people engage in a certain preventive healthcare activity increase the likelihood of continuing that activity. No moderating effects of age and personal control through adaptation processes on the likelihood of initiating preventive healthcare behaviors are found across age groups. Implications for research and practice are discussed.