- Title
- An application of protection motivation theory to coronary heart disease risk factor behaviour in three Australian samples: community adults, cardiac patients, and school children
- Creator
- Plotnikoff, Ronald C.
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 1994
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The Hunter Region of New South Wales has high levels of heart disease risk factors; its population has one of the highest rates of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Australia. This thesis sought to gain an understanding of the thought process involved in achieving desired change in risk factor behaviour among samples of this regions' residents. The research had two main aims: 1. To develop valid and reliable instruments to measure people's motivation to take protection against CHD; and, 2. To test the Protection Motivation Theoretical Model with respect to CHD risk factor behaviours. Protection Motivation refers to the cognitive process mediating health attitudes and behaviours. It concerns how individuals think about health threats and select responses to cope with danger brought about by those threats. A subsidiary aim tested the recently developed Ordered Protection Motivation Theoretical Model. Each of these rums was pursued in three separate study populations: an adult community (N =800); cardiac patients (N = 147); and school children (N = 151). Measurement of risk factor behaviour consisted of assessing the extent to which subjects follow a low-fat diet, maintain adequate exercise and do not smoke cigarettes. For the Cardiac and School Studies, the developed instruments were further tested for their sensitivity to detect the effects of heart health interventions. The results revealed that the study was generally successful in developing valid and reliable measures of the PMT model over the three separate population groups. Evaluation of the validity and reliability of the theory's domains was demonstrated through the psychometric robustness of these measures. The test of the Protection Motivation Theory revealed that CHD threat components had negligible effects on risk factor intentions and behaviours. The coping appraisal variables, however, demonstrated a greater influence on the outcome measures; self--efficacy was the most powerful mediating variable. Fear had a stronger role in Protection Motivation Theory than the theory hypothesised and the Ordered Protection Motivation Theory was partially supported. Recommendations based on these findings suggest that: (1) the developed measures from this research can be utilised by health professionals, program evaluators and academic researchers; and (2), that education and health promotion programs for the prevention of CHO should focus upon enhancing people's self-efficacy to follow a low-fat diet, maintain adequate exercise and not smoke.
- Subject
- Hunter Region; coronary heart disease; risk factors; protection motivation theory
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1415858
- Identifier
- uon:36962
- Rights
- Copyright 1994 Ronald C. Plotnikoff
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 299 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |