THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTH PROGRAM VIEWING MOTIVATION AND TRADITIONAL AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE ATTITUDES AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Vollständiger Abstract

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Aim: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the motivation of individuals aged 65 and over to follow health programmes and their attitudes towards conventional and complementary medicine. Method: This cross-sectional and exploratory study was conducted with 176 older adults registered at a family health centre in the province of Konya. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Health Programme Adherence Motivation Scale, and the Attitudes towards Traditional and Complementary Medicine Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0. Results: It was found that the level of motivation to watch health programmes differed significantly amongst women, primary school graduates, those not in employment, those with children, those watching television for five hours or more per day, those watching both news and health programmes, and those consulting nurses in the event of a health emergency. The TCM level, meanwhile, showed a significant association with family type, chronic illness, and medication use. According to the multiple regression analysis, the model was found to be statistically significant (F=9.103; p=0.000), and the family type variable was found to be a significant predictor of the TCM attitude (p=0.040). The family type variable was a significant predictor of the TCM attitude score; the regression coefficient was found to be 4.042, and the model’s explanatory power was calculated as 21 per cent (β=4.042; R²=0.211). In addition, a moderate positive correlation was found between motivation to follow health programs and the GETAT attitude (r = 0.380; p = 0.000). Conclusions: This study examined the relationship between older adults’ motivation to follow health programmes and their attitudes towards TCM. In light of these findings, it is recommended that family-based health education and counselling services regarding TCM be developed for older adults.