Women's Aging Benchmarks in Relation to Their Health Habits and Concerns

Nancy D. O'Reilly, PsyD; R. Paul Thomlinson, PhD; Margaret U. Castrey, BA

Objective: To identify aging benchmarks for women and to examine relationships between women's perceptions of aging and their health behaviors and concerns. Methods: More than 1000 primarily white women completed paper-and-pencil and Internet surveys of demographic, attitudinal, and health-behavior information.  Results: Aging benchmarks correlated significantly with women's education and employment levels, reported health status, and health behaviors including exercise, dieting, and breast augmentation surgery. Those who worried about aging were significantly more likely to diet but not more likely to exercise. Conclusion: More research is needed to understand how perceptions influence women's ability to impact the aging process.

Key words: women, perceptions of aging, aging benchmarks, self-rated health, health behaviors
Am J Health Behav 2003;27(3):268-277