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Do health control beliefs predict behaviour in Russians?
Francesca Perlman1, Martin Bobak, Andrew Steptoe
1International Centre for Health and Society, University College, London, UK. francesca@public-health.ucl.ac.uk
Preventive Medicine
|July 12, 2003
Summary
Health control beliefs are common in Russia, especially among younger, wealthier individuals. However, these beliefs show weak links to actual health behaviors, suggesting challenges for health intervention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
- Sociology
Background:
- Unhealthy lifestyles significantly contribute to high mortality rates in Russia.
- The relationship between health control beliefs and lifestyles is well-established in Western countries but understudied in Russia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of health control beliefs in Russia.
- To examine the association between health control beliefs and lifestyle behaviors in the Russian population.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional interview study of a Russian population sample (n=1599).
- Data collected on beliefs in influencing general health, heart attack, or cancer risk.
- Prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity were assessed alongside social characteristics.
Main Results:
- Belief in influencing health (63%), reducing heart attack risk (42%), and cancer risk (30%) was associated with younger age, male sex, and higher income.
- Associations between health control beliefs and behaviors were generally weak and inconsistent.
- Men with higher health control beliefs were less likely to smoke or drink regularly; fewer obese women believed they could reduce cancer risk.
Conclusions:
- Health control beliefs are more prevalent in younger and wealthier Russians but weakly associated with behaviors.
- Findings have implications for designing effective health behavior interventions in Russia.