title: The transtheoretical model: gender differences across 3 health behaviors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate gender differences in stage-of-change distribution, self-efficacy, and decisional balance, for 3 health behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred fifty-four (males = 107; females = 447) low-income, predominantly African American, patients completed stage-of- change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance scales for smoking cessation, exercise adoption, and dietary fat reduction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Males and females differ in stage of change for smoking and exercise, but not dietary fat intake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender-specific interventions may be needed to promote certain health behaviors but not others, and self-efficacy and decisional balance may be related differently to stage of change in low-income populations.
authors.affiliation: UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Eohea1@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Erin L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: O'Hea
authors.forename: Karen B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Brantley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D035841:Behavioral Research; D003657:Decision Making; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D015144:Southeastern United States; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires