Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the factors related to self-efficacy by focus group interview method, and to develop action plan to improve the self-efficacy for health behavior among middle-aged women. Two focus group interviews were designed, the subjects of first one were 5 residents who attended a series of health classes, and the other were 8 health care professionals in a urban city on the main island of Japan. Details in the focused group session are tape-recorded and analyzed by using the conceptual framework of Bandura (1997). The results suggested that the five effective methods to improve the self-efficacy for health behavior among the middle-aged women as follows : 1) to set clear target of each person for improving data, 2) to give chances to notice the vicarious experiences by others, 3) to get effective advices by professionals based on clear evidence, 4) to be motivated by positive physiological and affective expectations, and 5) to get useful information for healthy life style.
