Health Risk Behaviour Inventory Validation and its Association with Self-regulatory Dispositions

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• The World Health Organization identifies four major health risk behaviors: physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
• A single, validated instrument is needed to assess these 'big four' health risk behaviors simultaneously.
• Understanding the role of self-regulatory dispositions in health behaviors is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Health Risk Behaviour Inventory (HRBI), the first instrument designed to measure the big four health risk behaviors in a single assessment.
• To examine the association between the HRBI and self-regulatory dispositions (promotion and prevention foci).
• To explore cultural and gender differences in these associations among Italian and US samples.

Main Methods:

• Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from 304 English-speaking and 939 Italian-speaking participants.
• The study assessed the HRBI's factorial structure, convergent validity, and measurement invariance across demographic groups.
• Associations between the HRBI and a self-regulatory questionnaire were investigated.

Main Results:

• The HRBI demonstrated a robust factorial structure, good convergent validity with existing measures, and invariance across age, gender, and language.
• A promotion focus in self-regulation was the strongest protective factor against physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, and alcohol use.
• A prevention focus was primarily associated with reduced smoking and alcohol consumption, with consistent results across genders and cultural samples.

Conclusions:

• The HRBI is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the big four health risk behaviors in clinical and research settings.
• Self-regulatory dispositions, particularly promotion focus, play a significant role in mitigating major health risk behaviors.
• Both promotion and prevention self-regulatory strategies show efficacy in encouraging positive health behaviors.