Premium
Relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health locus of control and health‐specific self‐efficacy in university students
Author(s) -
Açıkgöz Çepni Serap,
Kitiş Yeter
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
japan journal of nursing science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.363
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1742-7924
pISSN - 1742-7932
DOI - 10.1111/jjns.12154
Subject(s) - locus of control , self efficacy , competence (human resources) , psychology , perception , health behavior , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , gerontology , social psychology , environmental health , neuroscience
Aim To investigate the relationship between the healthy lifestyle behaviors and the health locus of control and health‐specific self‐efficacy in university students. Methods The study included 572 undergraduate students of a university in the central A natolia region of T urkey. The data were collected with the G eneral C haracteristics F orm, the H ealth‐ P romoting L ifestyle P rofile II , the M ultidimensional H ealth L ocus of C ontrol S cale, and the P erceived H ealth C ompetence S cale and investigated with the structural equation model. Results Health‐specific self‐efficacy was an important predictor of healthy lifestyle behaviors. The I nternal health locus of control influenced the healthy lifestyle behaviors through health‐specific self‐efficacy. The other dimension was the P owerful O thers health locus of control that affected healthy lifestyle behaviors, both directly and indirectly, through health‐specific self‐efficacy. There was a chance that the health locus of control had a negative effect on healthy lifestyle behaviors through self‐efficacy. Conclusion Health‐specific self‐efficacy is an important prerequisite for changes in healthy lifestyle behaviors, which supports P ender's model. The subscales of the health locus of control vary in their effects on healthy lifestyle behaviors, which partly supports P ender's model. Nurses, by using this model, can examine ways of improving these cognitive–perceptual factors and implement health education programs that are directed towards improving them in young persons.