Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2004, 203(1)

Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale in Japan: Relationship with Demographic Factors and Health-Related Behavior

AYA KUWAHARA,^1,2 YOSHIKAZU NISHINO,² TAKAYOSHI OHKUBO,² ICHIRO TSUJI,² SHIGERU HISAMICHI² and TORU HOSOKAWA³

¹Department of Life Style Studies, Shuko Junior College, Ichinoseki 021-0902, ²Division of Public Health, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, and ³Department of Applied Human Development, Faculty of Education, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8576

We assessed the reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC scale) in a rural Japanese community. The study subjects were 2388 men and 2454 women aged 40-79 years, who completed a questionnaire regarding socio-demographics, health-related behavior, such as smoking and drinking, and the MHLC. The Cronbach α of the MHLC scale, which is an indicator of the internal consistency of the scale, was within the range 0.62-0.76. Elderly subjects, women, and subjects with fewer years of education showed more “external” belief, which is generally consistent with previous reports from overseas. Subjects with adverse health behavior, such as smoking and excess drinking, also had more “external” belief. These results indicate that the MHLC scale has sufficient reliability and validity among the Japanese population. Use of the MHLC scale should help to provide a better understanding of health belief among Japanese, and development of health education programs to prevent lifestyle-related disease.

keywords —— health locus of control; health behavior; validity; reliability

© 2004 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Address for reprints: Kuwahara Aya, Department of Food and Nutritional Science, Shuko Junior College, 49-1, Ichinoseki 021-0902, Japan.

e-mail: ayaken@cat-v.ne.jp