Seniors Fare Better When They Stick Together, Study Says

A study of couples over 50 finds both men and women are more likely to quit smoking, become physically active and lose weight if their partner joins them in the new healthy behavior. Evidence has suggested people tend to exhibit the health behaviors of people around them and that partners can influence each other’s behavior, according to the study recently published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Sarah E. Jackson, Ph.D., of University College London, England, and coauthors examined the influence of a partner’s behavior on making positive health behavior changes. Smoking cessation, increased physical activity and a 5 percent or greater weight loss were measured.

The authors used data from 3,722 senior married couples – ages 50 and older – and those living together who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. The authors found that when one partner changed to a healthier behavior the other partner was more likely to make a positive behavior change than if their partner remained unhealthy.

The changes measured:

Stopping smoking:

     ● Men, 48 percent vs. 8 percent;
     ● Women, 50 percent vs. 8 percent

Increasing physical activity:

     ●Men, 67 percent vs. 26 percent;
     ●Women, 66 percent vs. 24 percent and

Losing weight:
     ●Men, 26 percent vs. 10 percent;
     ●Women, 36 percent vs. 15 percent.

For more about the study, visit http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/partners-can-help-each-other-make-positive-health-behavior-changes/.