RELIGIOUS HEALTH FATALISM, HEALTHY LIFE AWARENESS, AND HEALTH EMPOWERMENT AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS: A CROSSSECTIONAL STUDY


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Kurtoğlu Y., Üstündağ S.

13TH INTERNATIONAL ACHARAKA CONGRESS ON MEDICINE, NURSING, MIDWIFERY, AND HEALTH SCIENCES PROCEEDINGS BOOK, Baku, Azerbaijan, 16 - 18 February 2026, pp.698-699, (Summary Text)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationships between religious health fatalism, healthy life awareness, and health empowerment among community-dwelling older adults and to identify associated sociodemographic factors. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between January and May 2025 with 282 older adults attending a university hospital family medicine clinic in Western Türkiye. Data were collected using the Religious Health Fatalism Scale (RHFQ), Healthy Life Awareness Scale (HLAS), and Elders Health Empowerment Scale (EHES). Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: The mean total scores were 58.47 ± 13.42 for RHFQ, 52.83 ± 10.36 for HLAS, and 27.63 ± 6.02 for EHES. A moderate and statistically significant negative correlation was identified between religious health fatalism and healthy life awareness (r = −0.285, p < 0.01). In addition, religious health fatalism showed a weak but significant negative association with health empowerment (r = −0.140, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Religious health fatalism is negatively associated with healthy life awareness, highlighting the need for culturally sensitive primary health care interventions to promote healthy ageing