Choice or chance: further evidence on ideas of illness and responsibility for health.
A study of 204 Welsh mothers using well validated research methods has demonstrated that better understanding of the antecedents to health behaviours contributes to a reorientation of stereotyped ideas about working class health beliefs and behaviour. Fatalism and an orientation to life-style choices for health are not necessarily contradictory concepts and this has important implications for those who are involved in education for health. The development of a Salience of Lifestyle Index (SLI) is described and studied in relation to concepts of blame for illness, education, house tenure, religious commitment, employment, health behaviours and social background.
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004194:Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D011315:Preventive Medicine; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014852:Wales