The relationships of perceived health status, cognitive-perceptual variables, and physiologic and demographic parameters to health behaviors

The purpose of this study was to test the relationships of perceived health status and other cognitive-perceptual parameters of life satisfaction, self-esteem, happiness, and stress, and the demographic factors of age, sex, and education, and the physiologic parameters of total serum cholesterol and ratio of total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein (HDL), to the behaviors of smoking, drinking more than two alcoholic beverages per day, and regular exercise. The Pender Health Promotion Model (HPM, 1989), which postulates a predictive nature of cognitive-perceptual factors (when controlled for demographic and physiologic factors) upon health behaviors, was also tested. The population that was studied was composed of 7,828 volunteer participants of a 1993 community health fair in the Omaha, Nebraska vicinity. Chi-square analyses were performed for each of the dependent variables. Forward logistic regression analyses were also performed for each of the dependent analyses. Results included numerous relationships with each of the behavioral variables. Perceived health status and stress consistently predicted smoking, drinking more than two alcoholic beverages per day, and regular exercise. Statistical results were interpreted as weak support for the Pender HPM.