gms | German Medical Science

MAINZ//2011: 56. GMDS-Jahrestagung und 6. DGEpi-Jahrestagung

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie e. V.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie e. V.

26. - 29.09.2011 in Mainz

Health related locus of control and health behaviour among university students in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Meeting Abstract

  • Stefanie Helmer - Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Bremen
  • Rafael Mikolajczyk - Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Bremen
  • Sabine Meier - Health @ work, Bielefeld
  • Alexander Krämer - University of Bielefeld, school of public health, Bielefeld

Mainz//2011. 56. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Medizinische Informatik, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (gmds), 6. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi). Mainz, 26.-29.09.2011. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2011. Doc11gmds376

doi: 10.3205/11gmds376, urn:nbn:de:0183-11gmds3763

Published: September 20, 2011

© 2011 Helmer et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

Background: Previous studies showed inconsistent associations between health behaviour and the beliefs about control over health. Lack of associations observed in some of these studies could have resulted from too small samples and heterogeneous study populations. The objectives of this analysis were to examine associations between three dimensions of locus of control: “internal”, “powerful others” as well as “chance” and different forms of health behaviour in university students.

Methods: We used data from North Rhine-Westphalia Survey of Students Health: a multicentre cross-sectional study among a sample of 3,306 students from 12 universities and 4 universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (three items measuring each of the dimensions) was used to asses locus of control and six different forms of health behaviour (smoking, alcohol, drug consumption, over/-underweight, physical activity and importance of healthy nutrition) were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex and three locus of control scales were conducted for each studied health behaviour separately.

Results: Students with a higher internal locus of control paid a higher attention to healthy nutrition and a higher physical activity. Individuals with high “powerful others” ratings were more seldom drug users and paid more attention to healthy nutrition. Furthermore, higher ratings on the “chance” locus of control scale were associated with higher alcohol consumption, smoking, less physical activity and less attention to healthy nutrition. However, for each of these forms of health behaviour health locus of control only accounted for a limited fraction of variation in the outcome (as indicated by Nagelkerke’s R²).

Discussion: Health locus of control may have an impact on different forms of health behaviour in student populations. The relatively weak effects are consistent with previous studies with discordant results. Different preferences regarding locus of control indicate the need of individualised prevention strategies. As for other low threshold interventions - the effects on individual level might be low, but for common risk behaviour considerable at the population level.