Relationship of health locus of control to lifestyle change programs

The relationship of health locus of control (HLC) scores to changes in physical parameters of 339 participants in a lifestyle change program was examined. Physical parameters included weight, blood pressure, low density lipoproteins, triglycerides, and the ratio between cholesterol and high density lipoproteins. Data were collected on admission and on completion of the 24-day residential program, and at a 6-month followup. There were significant changes in HLC scores (p less than .001) from admission to discharge. Weight changes at 6 months were positively correlated with admission HLC composite scores (p less than .01) and chance dimension (p less than .05) scores. There were negative correlations at 6 months between admission powerful other scores and changes in triglycerides (p less than .01) and changes in the ratio of cholesterol and high density lipids (p less than .01).