The use of health promoting behaviors is essential for maintaining health, early detection of disease, and recovery from illness.  A number of factors can affect older adults' use of health promoting behaviors.  The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, health literacy and health promoting behaviors. 

            Two hundred older adults participated in this correlation study utilizing a convenience sample.  The General Self-Efficacy Scale was used to measure self-efficacy, the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) was used to measure health literacy and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) was used to measure health promoting lifestyles.  Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic variables and the results of the instruments.  Correlations were determined between the variables and stepwise multiple linear regression was used to determine the effects of the independent variables on the criterion variable. 

            Results of data analysis indicated significant positive correlations between education level and health literacy (p<.00001) and education level and self-efficacy (p=.048).  Age was found to correlate negatively with health literacy (p<.00001).     A significant positive correlation was found between general self-efficacy and total health promoting lifestyle scores (p<.00001) and five of the six subscales.  Health literacy also positively correlated with total health promoting lifestyles scores (p=.003) and three of the subscales.  Regression analysis indicated that general self-efficacy was the only predictor of total health promoting lifestyles scores (p<.00001). 

            The findings of this study indicate that older adults may have decreased literacy skills that could impact their health behaviors and that self-efficacy is also an important predictor of health promoting behaviors.  In this presentation, recommendations will be given to help nurses identify low literacy in older persons and identify the roles of low literacy and self-efficacy in the use of health promoting behaviors.