Effective Health Behavior in Older Adults

K. Warner Schaie, PhD, is the Evan Pugh Professor of Human Development and Psychology at Pennsylvania State University. He also holds an appointment as Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of Washington.Howard Leventhal, PhD, is the Board of Governors Professor of Health Psychology and member of the Institute for Health and Department of Psychology at Rutgers University.Sherry L. Willis, PhD, is a professor of human development at Pennsylvania State University.

• Preface Biosocial Considerations in Chronic Illness Perceptions and Decisions, T. Hickey Linear and Dynamical Thinking about Psychosocial Factors and Cardiovascular Risk, J. Suls and R. Martin Commentary: Acute and Chronic Psychological Processes in Cardiovascular Disease, D.W. Johnston A Cognitive-Affective Analysis of Cancer Behavior in the Elderly: Are you as Healthy as You Feel? S.M. Miller, et al. Commentary: Beyond the Socio-Demographics: From Prediction to Explanation of the Effects of Gender and Social Deprivation in Recovery from Myocardial Infarction, M. Johnston, et al. Psychosocial Factors in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, L.H. Powell Ethnicity and Psychosocial Factors in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, K.E. Whitfield, T.A. Baker, and D.T. Brandon Getting Help to Those Most Likely to Benefit: Patient Characteristics and Treatment Success, J.C. Barefoot Exercise Interventions and Aging, J.A. Blumenthal and E.C.D. Gullete Commentary: Challenges to using Exercise Interventions in Older Adults, E.A. Burns How Provider Payment Policies Affect the Health Care Seeking Behavior of the Elderly, B. Stuart Commentary: Third-party Payors and the Patient-Professional Relationship, B. Dowd Commentary: Factors Affecting Health Care Seeking Behavior of the Elderly, P.S. German The Potential for Health Care Organizations to Promote Maintenance and Change in Health Behaviors Among the Elderly, W. Rakowski and M. Clark Commentary: Health Maintenance Organizations for the Elderly Patient? E. Leventhal Commentary: Health Care Organizational Structure, Prevention, and Health Behavior Among the Elderly, S. Crystal Afterword: Health Behavior and the Elderly: How Do We Understand Its Determinants and Their Goals? H. Leventhal