Examining the effect of social support level and health promotion behaviors on healthy aging in older individuals

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between social support, health promoting behaviors, and healthy aging among older adults; and to examine the factors affecting the level of healthy aging. This research is a descriptive and correlational study. It was conducted between September 10, 2024, and March 14, 2025, with individuals aged 65 and over who applied to the Altıyüzevler Family Health Center in the central district of Tokat. The sample consisted of 276 individuals. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Healthy Aging Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Elderly Health Promotion Scale. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, independent samples t-test, One-Way ANOVA, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age of the older adults was 70.97±4.24 years; 84.8% were married, 81.5% had graduated from primary school, and 59.4% perceived their economic status as moderate. It was determined that age, number of chronic diseases, sleep duration, gender, marital status, education level, living with family, sleep problems, level of social support, and health-promoting behaviors explained 64.8% of the variance in the total healthy aging score. Older adults were found to have a high level of healthy aging. A moderately positive relationship was identified between healthy aging and both social support and health-promoting behaviors. These findings indicate that social support systems and efforts to improve health behaviors play a significant role in the healthy aging process of older adults. It is recommended that nurses working in primary care initiate efforts to strengthen social support mechanisms and plan nursing interventions that encourage health-promoting behaviors in order to support healthy aging among older individuals. Keywords: Older adults; Healthy aging; Social support; Health-promoting behaviours