Journal of Preventive Medicine

Keep Calm and Lead by Example: Healthy Lifestyles of Dietitians and Satisfaction with Life

Background: The goal of nutrition-focused preventive services is to impact health outcomes for the individuals receiving counselling and education. To date, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of personal lifestyles and satisfaction with life of Registered Dietitians Nutritionists.
Methods: The study aims were to evaluate the reliability of the English version of the Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ) and to determine their relationship to satisfaction with life in a random sample of US dietitians (n=493). The HLPCQ was administered online to US dietitians in October 2016 and resulted in a sevenfactor solution, and these dimensions were compared to dietitian’s beliefs about health and nutrition to determine construct validity.
Findings: Cronbach's coefficients for the full scale were 0.824, and seven subscales varied from 0.464 to 0.853. Discriminant analysis was used to differentiate between participants’ gender, health behaviors, and health philosophy on satisfaction with life. Health-related behaviors were positively and significantly associated with SWL.
Conclusion: The health behaviors that predicted life satisfaction were routine physical activities, and socialemotional support behaviors. The identification of the key determinants influencing life satisfaction is essential for designing personal health interventions to improve lifespan wellness for allied health professionals.

Author(s):

Patricia Grace Farfaglia, Bernard DLP, Andrea W Gorman and Jaleh Dehpahlavan

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