Correspondence Between Health Attitudes and Behavior

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Abstract
College students completed a questionnaire that assessed general beliefs and attitudes with respect to matters of health and illness, as well as specific beliefs and attitudes concerning each of 24 health-related behaviors selected in a pilot study. In addition, the frequencies with which each of the 24 behaviors were reportedly performed were used as single-act criteria and to construct an aggregate measure of health behavior (multiple-act criterion). Consistent with previous work on the attitude-behavior relation, predictability of health behavior was contingent on measurement correspondence. Specific health behaviors were largely unrelated to general attitudes toward medical services, concern about illness, evaluations of health practices, or health locus of control; but they did correlate quite well with equally specific attitudes toward, and perceived control over, each behavior. Also consistent with the principle of correspondence, attitudes toward performing recommended health practices in general were found to correlate with the aggregate, multiple-act measure of health behavior. Interestingly, this was true of an affective judgment concerning enjoyment or displeasure associated with performance of health practices but not of a more cognitive evaluation of the desirability of engaging in health-related activities.