Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting health promoting lifestyles of college students on the basis of Pender's Health Promotion Model. The subjects were 1,159 students of one university in Seoul. These data were collected by self reporting questionnaire from April 19 to May 3, 1993. This study examined health promoting lifestyles, cognitive-perceptual factors: perceived health status, perceived importance of health, health locus of control, and health conception, and modifying factors: sex, grade, major, residence type, and attendance at a health care course. The instruments used in this study were Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile by Walker et al. (1987), Health Value Scale by Wallston et al. (1976), Health Locus of Control by Wallston et al. (1978), and Health Conception Scale by Laffrey(1986). The data were analyzed by Cronbach's alpha, mean, standard deviation, percentage, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, and Stepwise Multiple Regression with SPSS PC+ Program. The results were as follows : 1. The means of health promoting lifestyles revealed total 3.33, self actualization 3.74, health responsibility 2.72, exercise 2.80, nutrition 3.55, interpersonal surpport 3.76, and stress management 2.96. Interpersonal support showed the highest score and health responsibility showed the lowest score. 2. No significant differences between sex, grade, major, and residence type, and health promoting lifestyles Were founded(p>.05). Attendants at a health care course showed a significant higher score than nonattendants (p<.001). Male showed a significant higher score in exercise subscale, female showed significant higher scores in health responsibility, nutrition, interpersonal support, stress management subscales(p<.001), residence type showed a significant difference in nutrition subscale(p<.001). 3. No significant differences between perceived health status and sex, grade, major, residence type, and attendance at a health care course were founded(p>.05). Perceived importance of health showed no differences among sex, grade, major, and residence type(p>.05), showed only in attendance at a health care course (p<.001). Attendants at a health care course showed a significant higher score than nonattendants(p<.001). No significant differences between health conception and sex, grade, major, and residence type were founded (p>.05), only significant difference between health conception and attendance at a health care course was founded(p<.05). Nonattendants showed a significant higher score in clinical health conception, attendants showed a significant higher score in wellbeing health conception(p<.05). 4. A significant positive correlation between health promoting lifestyles and perceived health status was founded(r=.2415, p<.001). A significant positive correlation between health promoting lifestyles and perceived importance of health was founded (r=.1475, p<.001). The health promoting lifestyles revealed significant positive correlations in internal and powerful others locus of control (r=.3187, p<.001: r=.1475, p<.001), but revealed a significant negative correlation in chance locus of control(r=-.997, p<.001). A significant positive correlation between health promoting lifestyles and clinical health conception and wellbeing health conception were founded (r=.1241, p<.001 : r=.3047, p<.001). 5. Perceived health status was the highest factor predicting health promoting lifestyles of college students(R=.3415, R2=11.62). Perceived health' status, perceived improtance of health, internal locus of control, wellbeing health conception, powerful others locus of control accounted for 28.19% in health promoting lifestyle patterns. In conclusion, college students who reported more helath promoting lifestyles evaluated their health positively, perceived importance of health highly, perceived their health as affected by theirselves, powerful others but not by chance or luck, and accepted health as high level wellness rather than merely the absence of illness. Those who attending at a health care course had healthier lifestyle patterns. And attendance at a health care course had significant. correlations in these cognitive-perceptual factors. Further studies are required to identify reasons of attending a health care course, and to compare health promoting lifestyles pre-post attending a course related to health care.