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Dissertation Information for Rick S. Zimmerman

NAME:
- Rick S. Zimmerman

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Social Psychology

SCHOOL:
- University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA) (1983)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Inspected

Title: PREVENTIVE HEALTH ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS: A TEST OF THREE MODELS

Abstract: "Over the last 100 years, chronic illness has replaced infectious disease as a major cause of mortality in the U.S. This shift in mortality patterns, along with the strong links between chronic illness on the one hand and lifestyle and the environment on the other, has shifted public health concerns from immunization to prevention. Several approaches (e.g., medical, behavioral, mass media, economic, public policy, and social psychological) to achieving lifestyle (health habit) change have been taken, most with very limited success.

This thesis focuses on the social psychological approach. Three social psychological models of preventive health attitudes and behavior--Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action, the Health-Belief Model, and Leventhal et al.'s self-regulatory model--are compared, both for their utility in designing educational materials about prevention and for the extent to which they predict changes in preventive health behavior.

To make the model comparison, an educational intervention experiment was conducted. Baseline health habits were assessed, and then the 674 insurance company employees in the study were randomly assigned to view a slide show based on one of the three models of prevention or to receive no educational information. Attitudes, beliefs, and intentions were assessed immediately afterward, and health habits were assessed again about 3 1/2 months later. Results showed significant group differences in attitudes and intentions immediately after the educational shows, but few differences in behavior 3 1/2 months later. Explanation for the models' limited explanatory powers are offered and suggestions for future research are discussed."

MPACT Scores for Rick S. Zimmerman

A = 1
C = 0
A+C = 1
T = 1
G = 1
W = 1
TD = 1
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:30:21

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