Value correlates of preventive health behavior

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Behavior Research
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Preventive health behavior (PHB) is influenced by various factors.
• Rokeach's (1967) value theory provides a framework for understanding human motivation.
• The role of general values in shaping specific health behaviors requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between personal values and preventive health behaviors (PHB).
• To investigate whether health value predicts direct-risk versus indirect-risk health behaviors.
• To explore the predictive power of general value ranks on specific PHBs.

Main Methods:

• A postal survey was administered to 113 respondents.
• Respondents completed the Rokeach Terminal Value Survey, including an added "health" value.
• Fifteen questions assessed participants' preventive health behavior (PHB).
• Correlation and regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• Health value and other personal values were significantly related to overall PHB.
• Individuals with good PHB reported higher health values than those with poor PHB.
• Health value more strongly predicted direct-risk health behaviors compared to indirect-risk behaviors.
• Specific PHBs could be predicted from general value ranks.

Conclusions:

• Personal values, beyond just health value, play a crucial role in preventive health behaviors.
• Health educators can utilize value differences (e.g., extraversion vs. introversion) in targeted programs.
• Researchers should ensure perceived relevance of PHB to health when assessing value-behavior links.
• Findings support Rokeach's value theory and question Ajzen and Fishbein's levels of specificity.