A purposeful lifestyle is a healthful lifestyle: Linking sense of purpose to self-rated health through multiple health behaviors. (September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hill, Patrick L; Edmonds, Grant W; Hampson, Sarah E
• Is Part Of: Journal of health psychology. Volume 24:Number 10(2019)
• Page Start: 1392
• Page End: 1400
• Publication Date: 2019-09
• Subjects: health behavior -- multiple mediation -- physical activity -- purpose in life -- self-reported health; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; 613.019
• DOI: 10.1177/1359105317708251
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-1053

Abstract

Having a purpose in life has been consistently linked to subjective and objective health markers. Using data from the Hawaii Study of Personality and Health ( n = 749, Mage = 60.1 years), we tested multiple health behaviors as unique mediators of the correlation between sense of purpose and self-rated health ( r = .29). Correlational analyses found that participants' sense of purpose was positively associated with their reports of vigorous and moderate activity, vegetable intake, flossing, and sleep quality. Combined in a multiple-mediator model, bootstrapping analyses suggested that sleep quality and vigorous activity proved significant unique mediators.