God Knows Best: Exploring the God Locus of Health Control, Race-Ethnicity, and Risk-Taking and Protective Behaviors Interrelationship in the USA.

Abstract

The health implications of engaging in risk-taking or protective behaviors can have long-lasting effects on an individual's life. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in how religious attitudes and beliefs influence an individual's health behaviors. However, research on the role of the God Locus of Health Control (GLHC) in the religion-health literature is lacking. Data was derived from a national US sample (n = 1,259) via a cross-sectional survey exploring health attitudes and practices, and important sociocultural factors (e.g., religious beliefs). Results indicated that higher scores on the GLHC scale were associated with greater risk-taking behaviors that included having driven drunk, driving without a seatbelt, being a current tobacco user, and not using sunscreen. Higher GLHC scores were also associated with the protective behaviors of taking allergy medication and washing one's hands. These results indicated some variation by race/ethnicity, with African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos typically being more risk-averse. Further empirical theoretical implications are discussed.