University of Twente Student Theses
Heating up : exploring motivation and experiences of independent at-home living elderly in adopting health protective behaviours during heatwaves
Pfeijffer, M. (2023) Heating up : exploring motivation and experiences of independent at-home living elderly in adopting health protective behaviours during heatwaves.
|
PDF
483kB |
| Abstract: | Background: Global temperatures all over the world are rising, causing more heat waves in the summers. Especially for elderly, this can have adverse health effects. To handle the heat and prevent adverse health effects health protective measures can be taken, however elderly do not always follow these measures. The Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) explains that a lack of perceived threat of the heat or lack of perceived efficacy in executing the health protective measures can lead to not being motivated to take effective action (Witte, 1998). Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences with and motivation to engage in health protective behaviours of independent at-home living elderly. Method: 12 elderly adults living in the Dutch city of Enschede were interviewed (six individual interviews and three interviews with a couple). All had a semi-structured interview scheme based partly on the EPPM. A thematic analysis was done to identify patterns in the data. Results: Some elderly perceived the heat as nice, whereas others found it strenuous. Elderly did not deem themselves susceptible to the heat. They knew about health protective measures and executed most of the measures they knew about, such as drinking extra water and avoiding physical strain. However, financial barriers were present for using air conditioning for example. Elderly would like to be reached with health protective measures via television or newspapers. Conclusion: Elderly have different experiences with the heat, indicating that their circumstances, such as housing, influence how well they are able to handle the heat. Although elderly are aware of health protective measures, they seemed to be unaware of the health risk heat poses. Perceived threat of the heat could be increased with an appropriate form of fear appeal to instigate elderly to use health protective measures against the heat. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | Veiligheidsregio Twente, Enschede, Nederland |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/94689 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
Show download statistics for this publication
Show download statistics for this publicationRepository Staff Only: item control page