The relationship between health perception, fatalism and healthy lifestyle behaviors in low income women

Aim: The aimof this study is to determine the health perception, fatalism and healty lifestyle behaviors of poor women and to examine the effects of health perception and fatalism on healthy lifestyle behaviors. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at the Kayakyolu Family Health Center, Osmangazi Family Health Center, and Ceylanoğlu Family Health Center in Erzurum province. The population of the study consists of impoverished women residing in the Kayakyolu, Osmangazi, and Ceylanoğlu Family Health Center regions in Erzurum. The study was conducted between April 2022 and September 2024. To determine the sample size, a non-probability sampling method was used, resulting in a sample size of 384. Data for the study were collected using the Socio-Demographic Characteristics Information Form, Health Perception Scale, Health Fatalism Scale, and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II. The data analysis involved independent sample t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation, and linear regression analyses. Results: 64,6% of the impoverished women are under 32 years of age. Among the participants, 52,9% are single, 57,3% have a university degree, and 82,8% have a chronic illness. 45,8% of the participants evaluate their health status as good. The average score on the Health Perception Scale was 41,19±6,84, the average score on the Health Fatalism Scale was 49,17±7,82, and the average score on the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale was 123,33±20,58. Conclusion: It was concluded that as health perception increases among impoverished women, healthy lifestyle behaviors improve positively. However, health fatalism appears to negatively impact healthy lifestyle behaviors. Keywords: Fatalism, Health Perception, Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors, Poverty