title: Hispanics' locus of control, acculturation, and wellness attitudes.
abstract: There is reason to believe that various cultural attitudes and beliefs influence certain health behaviors, and additional research should identify the causes of such behaviors. This study explored the relationships among cultural identity, acculturation, locus of control, and health beliefs using a sample of 110 Hispanic individuals taking college classes in the southern or southwestern United States. Path analysis indicated that an external locus of control was positively related to health barrier perceptions and that acculturation was negatively related to health barrier perceptions. The findings suggest that Hispanics' perceived control over health outcomes and positive health beliefs could be enhanced with culturally perceptive counseling.
authors.affiliation: College of Business, University of Wyoming, Department of Management and Marketing, P.O. Box 3275, Laramie, WY 82071-3275, USA. Valentin@uwyo.edu
authors.forename: Sean R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Valentine
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Godkin
authors.forename: Graeme P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Doughty
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult