PROMOTING BRAIN-HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TO SUSTAIN COGNITIVE CAPACITY AND ENHANCE POST- RETIREMENT WELL-BEING AMONG UNIVERSITY LECTURERS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The orientation to promote brain-healthy lifestyle for university lecturers after retirement aims to equip them with knowledge and skills for maintaining cognitive health. A mixed-methods design was adopted in the study. It combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem. The population for this study comprised university lecturers who are within five (5) years of statutory retirement in Delta State. The sample size for this study was 400 participants who are within five (5) years of statutory retirement in Delta State. The study adopted the multi-stage sampling technique. The first stage was stratified random sampling technique to select one (1) university from each Senatorial Districts of Delta State. At the second stage, simple random sampling technique was used to select 400 participants from three Senatorial Districts of Delta State. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire titled “Orientation on Brain Healthy Lifestyle for Lecturers after Retirement Questionnaire (OBHLLRQ). The instrument was administered by the researcher and two research assistants familiar with the study area and adhering to ethical standards. The researcher and research assistants administered the questionnaire on face to face interval. For the interviewed participants, interview protocols and recording was adopted. Simple percentages, mean scores, standard deviation provides answers to the research questions. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistic was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance while thematic analysis was adopted for the interpretation of responses. Conclusively, the orientation on brain healthy lifestyle effectively increased awareness and adoption of brain-healthy lifestyle among university lecturers, empowering them to prioritize cognitive health for retirement.

Keywords: Orientation, Brain-Healthy, Lifestyle, Retirement, Lecturers, Nigeria