[Biological and psychosocial factors that predict health promoting lifestyles]

One of the goals of the national health reform is to promote a healthy lifestyle in all the population. The determinants of healthy lifestyles need to be identified to guide people towards this purpose.

To analyze the health promoting lifestyle (HLP) in a community of Concepción and to identify the personal factors that might be predictors of such lifestyle.

Pender's health promotion model was used as the conceptual framework for exploring the HLP among 360 persons aged from 15 to 64 years, free from chronic diseases. Data were obtained by a semi structured questionnaire and the following scales were used to measure HLP: perceived health status, perceived self esteem, and perceived self efficacy. Relationships between personal factors and HLP were studied. Data were processed with SAS software and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics.

Only 52.2% of the sample had a healthy lifestyle. The variables sex, age, occupation, access to health care, self esteem, perceived health status and perceived self efficacy had a significant effect on HLP. A regression model showed that self esteem, self efficacy, sex, age, occupation and access to health care explained 30% of the variation in health lifestyle.

Only half of the studied sample had a healthy lifestyle. The variables obtained with the regression model, should be considered to create effective interventions encouraging persons to integrate healthy behaviors to their life.