Development of the model of health for older adults.

AIMS: This study aimed to explore the pertinent health indicators and to form a model of health for older adults.

BACKGROUND: Health assessment and early detection are foundations for health promotion. Finding essential health indicators for older adults can better reflect the health status of this population and efficiently detect their health problems in a timely and economical manner.

METHODS: This study had two phases. Data were collected from July 2008 to January 2009. Phase I began with sending evaluation surveys to a panel of ten professional experts to generate health indicators for older adults. Phase II was a preliminary determination of the extent of health predictions using these indicators by conducting a descriptive survey involving a stratified random sample of 55 community-dwelling older adults.

RESULTS: The ten experts had fairly high agreement on the representativeness and importance of the proposed health model for older adults. The predictability of the health of older adults in the three domains (physical health, psychological health and social-economic health), four constructs (activities of daily living, physical status, emotional health and social engagement), and 47 indicators in this model was 84·50%.

CONCLUSION: Results of this study could be used for making health policy and/or to set the goals for intervention. In addition, nurses who care for the older adults may use the health indicators to plan and control the given quality of care. The researchers may further examine the effects of study programmes for health promotion.