Italian people aged 50-75 years enrolled in a health promotion program: Health and lifestyle

The article presents a quantitative and qualitative analysis that identifie s the most important lifestyle factors of an independent population of 50-7 5 years living at home and in a variety of middle-sized towns in the Marche Region (Italy). The first step was an investigation of multiple associatio ns among state of health, socioeconomic variables, and lifestyle. After stu dying the set of variables defining lifestyle, we proceeded to identify the most important ones in order to select a group of elderly with a "correct" lifestyle. The principal outcome concerns the overwhelming role played by the subjecti ve perception of aging. It is, therefore, necessary for social policies to concentrate on the importance of promoting educational campaigns for the ac hievement of successful aging, stressing the value of both personal well-be ing and socializing activities.