Lifestyle of the elderly living in rural and urban areas measured by the FANTASTIC Life Inventory

Introduction. A healthy lifestyle can help older people maintain their functional ability and, therefore, satisfaction with life. An important aspect of health promotion is the assessment of lifestyle factors over which patients have some control. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze the lifestyle of the elderly in urban and rural areas using the Fantastic Life Inventory (FLI). Materials and method. The research group comprised 138 people aged 65–94 years (M = 72.41, SD = 6.90). Participants were recruited from urban 78 (56.5%) and rural 60 (43.5%) areas. The FLI used in this study has 25 closed-ended questions that explore nine domains, including physical, psychological, and social lifestyle components. Results. The overall lifestyle of most seniors was ‘excellent’ (45.7%) or ‘very good’ (41.3%); none of the respondents scored in the lowest category – ‘needs improvement’. The domains that mostly demonstrated the need for a change were related to activity, nutrition, insight, sleep, stress. Participants from rural areas tended to have lower scores in the activity (p= 0.017) and nutrition (p= 0.015) domains. The lifestyle of the elderly is determined by several factors, including age, gender, health status, level of education, and the place of residence. Conclusion. The majority of older persons demonstrated an ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ lifestyle with healthy habits. The adoption of healthy lifestyle patterns, in particular a regular balanced diet and proper physical activity, can help prevent functional limitations among the elderly in rural areas.