The Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ): a novel tool for assessing self-empowerment through a constellation of daily activities

Abstract

BackgroundThe main goal of stress management and health promotion programs is to improve health by empowering people to take control over their lives. Daily health-related lifestyle choices are integral targets of these interventions and critical to evaluating their efficacy. To date, concepts such as self-efficacy, self-control and empowerment are assessed by tools that only partially address daily lifestyle choices. The aim of this study is to validate a novel measurement tool, the Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ), which aims to assess the concept of empowerment through a constellation of daily activities.MethodsTherefore, we performed principal component analysis (PCA) of 26 items that were derived from the qualitative data of several stress management programs conducted by our research team.ResultsThe PCA resulted in the following five-factor solution: 1) Dietary Healthy Choices, 2) Dietary Harm Avoidance, 3) Daily Routine, 4) Organized Physical Exercise and 5) Social and Mental Balance. All subscales showed satisfactory internal consistency and variance, relative to theoretical score ranges. Subscale scores and the total score were significantly correlated with perceived stress and health locus of control, implying good criterion validity. Associations with sociodemographic data and other variables, such as sleep quality and health assessments, were also found.ConclusionsThe HLPCQ is a good tool for assessing the efficacy of future health-promoting interventions to improve individuals’ lifestyle and wellbeing.

Relationship of health locus of control with specific health behaviours and global health appraisal: a meta-analysis and effects of moderators

“…Specifically, women tend to hold more negative attitudes towards snacks and ready meals, whereas men tend to care less about the nutritional value of such food and enjoy it more (Labrecque, Dufour, & Charlebois, 2011). In addition, women (vs. men) tend to make healthier dietary choices by regulating the quantity and quality of the food they consume (Darviri et al, 2014). Such gender differences in food perceptions and dietary choices may explain the stronger positive relationships between I-HLOC and diet amongst samples containing more women, who tend to express stronger health concerns in their food choices than men (Steptoe, Pollard, & Wardle, 1995).…”

The validity and reliability of the Healthy Lifestyle Screening Tool

“…Healthcare professionals advise patients about the importance of a HL and its role in disease prevention and recovery. Moreover, various healthrelated articles have also posited that a HL plays a crucial role in averting the development of lifestyle diseases [7][8][9][10].…”

“…There is sufficient evidence to show that HL changes are needed to prevent injury or improve functional limitations. However, previous assessment tools have primarily dealt with only limited aspects of a HL, such as nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness [7][8][9][10]. There is lack of a lifestyle tool that includes information about a broad aspect of healthy lifestyle choices that could be completed in a relatively short period of time.…”

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“…In addition, the internal consistency of this 14-item scale in this study was also satisfactory, which was determined to be 0.67 through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ) (Darviri et al, 2014) was also utilized, which contains 26 items that respondents were asked to indicate the frequency of adopting 26 positively stated lifestyle habits using a Likert-type scale (1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often and 4=Always). An increased score denotes healthier lifestyle in terms of diet, daily routine, exercise, social support and positive thoughts.…”