Online Program

Oral

This session address issues on the improvement of health status among the elderly. Topics include: protective and risk factors for physical activity and falls among oldest-old adults enrolled in an evidence-based fall risk reduction program; influence of anti- and pro- tobacco messages on older adult risk and benefit perceptions of tobacco use; health indicators associated with falls among older women enrolled in an evidence-based program; service attendance and depression among older adults; and to explore the utilization of preventive health services among older adults along the Texas-Mexico border.

Session Objectives: 1. To examine protective and risk factors associated with weekly physical activity and number of falls among oldest-old participants enrolled in A Matter of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader model. 2. To characterize older smokers' perceptions of the risks and benefits associated with conventional and emerging tobacco products and determine the extent to which these perceptions relate to exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco messages. 3. To examine female participants' socio-demographics and baseline health indicators associated with self-reported falls at baseline and 8-week follow-up. 4. To investigate the effect of religious behaviors on depression among 1500 older participants in the 2001 Aging Religion and Health national Study. 5. To employ quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore factors related to preventive health services utilization among older adults in a Texas-Mexico border community.