Open AccessThe stability of health and illness behavior: results from a 16-year follow-up.
Author(s) -
David Mechanic
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.69.11.1142
Subject(s) - illness behavior , sociology of health and illness , medicine , association (psychology) , demography , health behavior , psychology , psychiatry , gerontology , environmental health , health care , sociology , economics , psychotherapist , economic growth
In 1977, 302 young adults who were among 350 children first studied in 1961 responded to a questionnaire related to their health and illness behavior. Ten types of adult health and illness behaviors and orientations are examined including seat belt use, smoking, exercise, drinking, and risk taking. These patterns are associated only to a modest degree, and patterns of health and illness behavior appear to have low levels of continuity over a 16-year period (correlations varying from .02 to .20).