218354 Spiritual Health Locus of Control and Preventive Health Behaviors in a National Sample of African Americans

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Katrina J. Debnam, MPH, CHES , Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Cheryl L. Holt, PhD , Department of Behavioral and Community Health; School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Eddie Clark, PhD , Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO
David Roth, PhD , School of Public Health/Department of Biostatistics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Martha Crowther, PhD, MPH , Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Mona N. Fouad, MD MPH , Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
H.R. Foushee, PhD , Center for the Study of Community Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Penny Southward, BS , Division of Preventive Medicine, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
  
Objective: The present study examined the relationship between spiritual health locus of control beliefs and health prevention and risk behaviors in a national sample of African American men and women. Method: 1,098 women and 531 men completed a telephone interview assessing their fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, adherence to cancer screening recommendations, alcohol, and cigarette use. Results: Results show that beliefs that God empowers one to be proactive about health behaviors, and beliefs that God will keep one healthy if they live a faithful life were positively associated with preventive health behaviors. Conversely, beliefs that only God is in control of health outcomes, and beliefs that a powerful but good God that has control over one's health were negatively associated with preventive health behaviors. These beliefs were also positively associated with health risk behaviors. In addition different relationships were observed for women and men between spiritual health locus of control beliefs and preventive health and risk behaviors. Conclusions: Findings suggest that different dimensions of Spiritual Health Locus of Control beliefs relate differently to different health behaviors, and these patterns are not the same for men and women. Implications of these findings for health promotion are discussed.

Learning Objectives:
-Define spiritual health locus control and its dimensions as a public health concept. -Describe the relationship between spiritual health locus of control and health prevention and risk behaviors among a national sample of African Americans. -Discuss gender differences in the relationships listed in objective 2

Keywords: Health Behavior, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee programs involving school-based violence prevention and I am a doctoral student in public and community health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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