Involvement with a disease and health-promoting behavior

Abstract

A theoretical framework regarding the association between attitude toward a disease and preventive behavior has been proposed. Analysis of previous studies and application of the concept of the image of a disease led to the development of a typology of “involvement with a disease” indicating the extent of one's feelings regarding susceptibility to, salience, understanding and preventability of a disease. Since the typology indicates the extent of one's feeling of being threatened by a disease and also the extent of understanding and subsequent perception of the feasibility of coping with the situation it has been hypothesized that engagement in preventive behavior will be associated with the level of involvement. A study carried out among a representative sample of Jewish Israeli Urban housewives lent support to the hypothesis, showing that preventive behavior may be predicted from attitudes toward a disease to the extent to which (a) attitudes are ordered along a line designating a motivational process and (b) behavior is considered relevant to that specific disease. Since only about 60% of the population fit the types of the proposed typology, further study is required to improve measures. Nevertheless, the present study may be considered as a further step in the undestanding of the association between attitude and behavior.