Neurocognitive influences on health behavior in a community sample.
BACKGROUND
Dominant models of individual health behavior omit biological variables entirely and are composed almost exclusively of social-cognitive and conative variables. Research from the neurosciences suggests a role for brain function in explaining behaviors that require active self-regulation for consistent performance. However, the association between brain function and health behavior is underexplored.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the predictive power of executive function for 2 health risk behaviors and 2 health protective behaviors in healthy adults.


METHODS
A cross-sectional community sample (N = 216) of adults 20-100 years of age were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests and completed self-report questionnaires regarding their health practices. It was hypothesized that poor performance on neuropsychological tests tapping executive function would be associated with poor health behavior tendencies.


RESULTS
Errors on the Stroop task were positively associated with health risk behavior and negatively associated with health protective behavior after controlling for demographics, education, and IQ.


CONCLUSIONS
Executive function is associated with health behavior tendencies. If the association is causal, explanatory models of individual health behavior should be revised to account for individual differences in biologically imbued self-regulatory abilities.
Hall
Peter A
PA
Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. pahall@uwaterloo.ca
Elias
Lorin J
LJ
Crossley
Margaret
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires