This exploratory study investigated associations between health practices and
perceptions of social support for 64 persons ages 60 to 75 years in San Diego,
California. In general, elders who were satisfied with their relationships with other
people engaged in more healthful practices than those who were not satisfied.
Health practices had a stronger association with satisfaction with social support
than with the number of supporters. The strongest linkages to health behaviors
were variables concerned with communication with other people. Surprisingly,
men showed significantly higher correlations between health habits and satisfaction
with social support through sharing than women. Significant differences were
found, however, between active and inactive elders. Frail, homebound elders had
lower correlations between health practices and social support than the other two
more active groups.
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