title: Spiritual health locus of control and health behaviors in African Americans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine relationships between spiritual health locus of control beliefs and various health behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey of a national sample of African Americans assessed spiritual beliefs, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity,  and alcohol consumption.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Active spiritual beliefs were positively associated with fruit consumption and negatively associated with alcohol consumption. Passive spiritual beliefs were associated with lower vegetable and increased alcohol consumption. Among male participants,  passive spiritual beliefs were associated with higher alcohol consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that dimensions of spiritual health locus of control beliefs have complex and varying relationships with health behaviors.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, School of Public Health, Department of Behavioral and Community Health, College Park, MD, USA. kdebnam@umd.edu
authors.forename: Katrina J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Debnam
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: Eddie M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Herman R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Foushee
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crowther
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.forename: Penny L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Southward
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011322:Primary Prevention; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D029181:Spirituality; D014481:United States