RELATIONSHIP OF PARENTAL HEALTH-PROMOTING LIFESTYLES TO SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN'S SELF-ESTEEM, PERCEIVED HEALTH STATUS, HEALTH BELIEFS, AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 286
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The relationship of parental health-promoting lifestyles to 9- to 12-year-old healthy children's self-esteem, perceived health status, health beliefs, and health behaviors was studied in 60 matched parent-child pairs using a descriptive, correlative design. Eight research hypotheses identified by the predictive conceptual model for the study were investigated, and triangulation was accomplished by analysis of interview data from children and parents in an eight-family subsample. Five instruments measured the study's major variables: the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP), Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), Children's Health--Assessed by Self--Ladder (CHASL), My Health: How Important Is It? (HIII), and My Health: How Often Do You? (HODY).

The hypothesized positive relationship between parental lifestyles and children's self-esteem and between parental lifestyles and children's health behaviors held true only for fathers and their children (r =.3207, p =.006 and r =.3803, p =.001, respectively), and not for mothers and their children. Parents' lifestyles were not significantly related to children's perceived health status or to children's health beliefs, although several subscales of the mothers' and fathers' HPLPs showed a moderate significant correlation with their children's health beliefs.

Children's self-esteem showed a moderate positive relationship (r =.5048, p =.000) to children's health behaviors. Children's belief in the importance of health was moderately related to their frequency of health behaviors (r =.5739, p =.000).

Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that children's self-esteem, perceived health status, and belief in the importance of health behaviors are predictive of children's health behaviors (R =.7049, $R\sp2$ =.4968). However, the hypothesized relationship between children's perceived health status and their frequency of health behaviors was not confirmed.

Quantitative findings partially supported the relationships hypothesized. Qualitative data from the eight-family subsample provided strong support for the model. In interviews, children's responses indicated strong parental influence on their health beliefs and behaviors. Parents reported learning "most" of their health beliefs and behaviors from their own parents.

The findings indicated some positive relationships between aspects of parental health-promoting lifestyles and children's self-esteem, health beliefs, and health behaviors. While both parents influenced children's health beliefs, only the influence of the fathers' health-promoting lifestyle was significantly correlated to children's self-esteem and health behaviors. Health professionals' efforts to improve children's health behaviors should focus on children's self-esteem and health beliefs, as well as on their parents' health-promoting lifestyles.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: B, page: 2132.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1987.

School code: 0227.