ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEW DATA REGARDING THE CONNECTION OF HEALTH
AND HEALTH-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS TOWARD HEALTH PROMOTING
Health promotion consists of activities aimed at increasing the well-being of individuals, families and communities (Lancaster & Lancaster, 1992). Generally, hospitals and other community health care agencies and facilities offer a variety of health promotion programs (Lancaster & Lancaster, 1992). However, there exists a substantial body of theory and research supporting the notion that the extent to which people utilize these and other programs and services is strongly dependent upon their health beliefs (Hochbaum, 1958; Kegels, 1965; Rosenstock, 1974; Pender, 1987; Lancaster, 1992).
This paper presents a critical analysis of the relationship between an individual's health promotion behavior and her attitudes and beliefs toward health promotion practices and issues. Data for the analysis were collected through an interview. The interviewee was Mildred B., a 53 year-old family friend who works in a bakery that her family has owned for two generations.
In the conducted interview, Mildred B. was asked to share her beliefs and behaviors regarding health promotion activities generally as well as regarding specific health promotion issues including those issues related to eating habits, contraception and reproductive issues, and avoidance of health-compromising behaviors such as smoking, exercise, substance use, and early screening procedures). In examination of the interview data, it was noted that Mildred B. felt that generally health promotion activities were "very important." However, what was immediately apparent upon review of her overall responses during the interview was that the degree of importance and need she accorded to specific health promotion activities varied substantially depending upon the specific activity under discussion.
For example, the interviewee was a non-smoker an...