Relationships of Self-efficacy and Health Locus of Control to Lipid Lowering and Anthropometric Change in Workers with Hyperlipidemia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether self-efficacy and health locus of control were associated with lipid lowering and anthropometric change in workers. Fifty-nine men with hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol ≥ 220 mg/di, or triglyceride ≥ 150 mg/dl, or HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dl) participated in this study. Body height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fatness, waist circumference, and plasma lipids were measured at annual health checkup in 1999 and twelve months after. Self-efficacy as measured by general self-efficacy scale (GSES) and health locus of control as measured by Japanese health locus of control scale (JHLCS) were assessed after annual health checkup in 1999. Subjects were divided to two groups, namely improvement group (1G) and non-improvement group (NIG), according to the changes of parameters. The point of GSES was no difference between two groups. However, the point of“super natural” of JHLCS in NIG was significantly higher than IG (p=0.045) and the point of“internal” of JHLCS in IG was higher than NIG (p=0.092) in serum total cholesterol change. The findings of this study suggest that health locus of control may be associated with lipid lowering. Therefore, medical staff, especially nurses, should understand the behavioral scientific character of subjects and instruct proper health behaviors to keep their good health in the health management.