HEALTH VULNERABILITY, BODY KNOWLEDGE AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF EARLY ADOLESCENTS.
Contributors: University of Pittsburgh.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 143
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This exploratory descriptive study, developed from the Health Belief Model, was done to investigate the relationship of perceived health vulnerability and body knowledge to the self-initiated practice of health behaviors among early adolescents. Sixty subjects enrolled in a health course as part of their regular studies in a three year junior high school, were interviewed by a specially trained nurse clinician. Questions developed from the Gochman Health Vulnerability Scale, the Gellert Index of Body Knowledge, and an author-constructed Health Behavior Inventory were used to derive scores of health vulnerability, body knowledge, and health behavior. Data were collected about positive and negative health behaviors and specific questions were asked about caring for body parts. Correlation of vulnerability and health behavior scores in the total sample was non-significant. Ninth grade subjects and subjects from low socioeconomic status demonstrated lower levels of vulnerability related to higher practice of health behaviors. Body knowledge scores were significantly negatively related to the practice of health behaviors, especially for middle siblings and eighth grade students. The data support the expectation that moderate levels of vulnerability will relate to higher levels of practice of health behaviors and that knowledge alone will not motivate health behaviors.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-08, Section: B, page: 2626.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, 1985.

School code: 0178.