title: Self-reported health beliefs of government housing tenants.
abstract: Our aim was to provide a description of the self-reported health beliefs of a sample of Victorian public housing tenants, and to identify how gender, age and geographic location relate to these beliefs. Telephone interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of 360 tenants, asking questions such as what they believe are the major health problems for men and women, what they do to keep healthy, and what makes it difficult to keep healthy. There were many differences in the beliefs held by older participants compared with those of younger participants. By asking about health in general, rather than specific aspects of health, this research identified the views about health which are most salient to participants, rather than those prompted by a survey on a particular disease or health behaviour. The health promotion implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Deakin University.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cox
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011638:Public Housing; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014739:Victoria