The Internal Structure of Health-Seeking Behavior

Abstract

Data were collected from a national sample of 1,254 subjects regarding their compliance with 21 health-seeking behaviors, each of which possessed a documented link with mortality or morbidity. The survey was replicated exactly one year later employing identical behaviors and sampling methodology. Factor analyses performed on the two data sets revealedfive replicating, but sparsely populated, independent dimensions. Examination of the intercorrelations among the behaviors revealed 74 relationships that reached statistical significance in both data sets, however, and the internal consistencies of the two resulting composite scores averaged .59. Although these data corroborate previousfindings documenting the relative independence of individual preventive acts, they do not preclude the utility of employing a single measure of health-seeking behaviorfor certain empirical purposes.