Lifestyles--Health aspects

The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between mental, physical, and social activity, and episodic memory (EM) of cognitively intact older persons. The specific aims were (a) to describe the relationship between EM and mental, physical, and social activity, (b) to describe the role of gender, marital status, and race on EM, (c) to describe the moderating effects of each activity on the relationship between each of the remaining two activities and EM, and (d) to describe the moderating effects of gender, marital status, and race on the relationship between each activity and EM. Two theoretical frameworks: Cognitive Reserve Theory (Stern, 2002) and Theory of Nursing as Caring (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 1993) guided the study.
This study was designed as a correlational and retrospective secondary analysis of data sets from the Health and Retirement Study. The sample consisted of 3,903 cognitively intact persons who were 50 years and older and completed immediate and delayed recall tests in the 2016 HRS and the 2015 Consumptions and Activities Mail Survey. Descriptive statistics included the means for age: 67 (SD 9.54), education:13.85 (SD 5.89), and total cognition 16.86 (SD 3.11). The sample was predominantly Caucasian (78.3%), female (59.8%), and married (60.9%).

This study explored the lived experience of choosing a healthier lifestyle. Using van Manen's methodology for researching lived experience, five participants described their experiences of the phenomenon. Four essential thematic structures were identified: (a) Conscious Choice; (b) Self Discovery; (c) Goals, Expectations, and Benefits; and (d) Validation and Motivation. Three incidental thematic structures were identified: (a) Resources, (b) Events, and (c) Addiction. A descriptive paragraph was written from the significant statements and a metatheme emerged for the phenomenon. The metatheme for the experience of choosing a healthier lifestyle was written as the phenomenological statement: The lived experience of choosing a healthier lifestyle is a conscious choosing of how to be in the world, and the actions taken to fulfill and sustain that desire.