International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 6, Issue 9, September 2016 369 ISSN 2250-3153 www.ijsrp.org Evaluation of Health Promotion Behaviors for Elderly Population at Geriatric Homes in Baghdad City: Comparative Study * Anwar Jabbar. Rasool, ** Mohammed F. Khalifa. PhD * Community Health Nurse Specialist, Ministry of Defense * * Professor, Community Health Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad. Abstract- Study aims: To evaluate health promotion behaviors for elderly population at Geriatric Homes in Baghdad City, to compare between health promotion behaviors for elderly population at public and private Geriatric Homes in Baghdad City, and to determine the relationships between health promotion behaviors for elderly Population and their demographic characteristics of age, gender, education, occupation and socioeconomic status. Methodology: A descriptive Comparative design is carried throughout the present study to evaluate health promotion behaviors for elderly population at Geriatric Homes in Baghdad City the period of October 22 nd 2015 to July 19 th 2016. Non- probability (purposive) sample of (108) older adults whose age is 65 years old and over, (54) males and (54) females, (54) participants from public and (54) participants from private Geriatric Homes are selected for the present study. Questionnaire is constructed for the purpose of the study. It includes three parts socio-demographic data, general information and health promotion behaviors domains which include physical activity domain, dietary patterns domain, drug use domain, psychological and mental well-being domain and seeking health care domain. The internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire is determined through a pilot study in which split-half technique and Cronbach alpha correlation coefficient are employed. Content validity is achieved through a panel of (16) experts. Data are collected throughout the utilization of the constructed questionnaire and interview technique as means of data collection. Data are analyzed through the application of descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis approaches. Results: The study results indicate that the elderly at geriatric homes have moderate health promotion behaviors of physical activities, dietary patterns, psychological and mental well-being, and health seeking domains, while they exhibit high health promotion behaviors at the drug's use domain, and their demographic data have no impact upon heath promotion behaviors. Also, the study findings present that there is a significant difference between the overall evaluation of health promotion behaviors between the public and private geriatric homes. Conclusion: The study concludes that the elderly are practicing moderate health promotion behaviors because of these behaviors require a high degree of life style change and also it is a complex behaviors. So, the elderly are not able to adhere completely to such behaviors. Also, there is a difference in elderly health promotion behaviors among those in public and private homes and that is because of the differences in the levels of health care services and health supervision in these geriatric homes. Recommendations: The study recommends that further studies can be conducted at national level to determine , evaluate and compare health promotion behaviors between elderly geriatric homes residents and community elderly. Applying and reinforcing health education programs through establish collaborative work between the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and Ministry of Health to enhance the health promotion behaviors for the elderly in geriatric homes residents. The geriatric homes residents can be considered as good target to programs which aim to strengthening and application issues of health promotion. Index Terms- Health promotion behaviors, elderly, and geriatric homes I. INTRODUCTION ealth promotion is the combination of environmental and educational supports for actions and conditions of living conducive to health. Health promotion includes social, environmental and political processes that encourage individuals, groups of people or populations to increase control over, and to improve their health (1) . Health promotion increases the healthy lifespan of individuals, decreases disease burden, slows functional loss, promotes autonomy, and thus increases quality of life (2) . Most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of 'elderly' or older person, but like many westernized concepts, this does not adapt well to the situation in Africa. While this definition is somewhat arbitrary, it is many times associated with the age at which one can begin to receive pension benefits. At the moment, there is no United Nations standard numerical criterion, but the United Nations agreed cutoff is 60+ years to refer to the older population (3) . Many people will live to experience ageing. Age-related deterioration is affecting an ever-growing number of people. Although the process is unavoidable, but if we better understand the process, we might be able to positively influence aspects that maintain or promote health and wellness as a person ages, treating and ameliorating symptoms of common conditions associated with ageing (4) . H