Empirical research has not examined the explicit relationship between cultural identity and health-promoting behavior. This study proposed three models of relationships between African self-consciousness (ASC), health consciousness (HC), and health-promoting behaviors (HPB) in a sample of African American college students. One model suggested that the relationship between ASC and HPB would be mediated by HC, whereas a second model hypothesized a moderating effect of HC. A third model denoted that ASC and HC might be orthogonal predictors of HPB. Eighty participants completed measures of ASC, HC, and HPB. Statistical analyses lent support for the third model and indicated that ASC contributes unique variance to HPB beyond that contributed by HC. These results emphasize the need for sound research that examines the role of cultural identity in health promotion among African Americans.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ahijevych, K.
, & Bernhard, L. (1994). Health promoting behaviors of African American women. Nursing Research, 43(2), 86-89.
2.
Airhihenbuwa, C. O.
(1994). Health promotion and the discourse on culture: Implications for empowerment. Health Education Quarterly, 21, 345-353.
3.
Airhihenbuwa, C. O.
(1995). Health and culture: Beyond the western paradigm. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
4.
Ani, M.
(1994). Yurugu: An African-centered critique of European cultural thought and behavior. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
5.
Azibo, D. A.
(1989). African-centered theses on mental health and a nosology of Black/African personality disorder. Journal of Black Psychology, 15(2), 173-214.
6.
Azibo, D. A.
(1993). Towards a metatheory of the African personality. Journal of Black Psychology, 17(2), 37-45.
7.
Azibo, D. A.
(1996). Personality, clinical, and social psychological research on Blacks: Appropriate and inappropriate research frameworks. In D.A. Azibo (Ed.), African psychology in historical perspective and related commentary (pp. 203-234). Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
8.
Baldwin, J. A.
(1985). Psychological aspects of European cosmology in American society. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 9(4), 216-223.
9.
Baldwin, J. A.
(1987). African psychology and Black personality testing. The Negro Educational Review, 38(2-3), 56-66.
10.
Baldwin, J. A.
, & Bell, Y. R. (1985). The African Self-Consciousness Scale: An Africentric personality questionnaire. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 9(2), 61-68.
11.
Baron, R. M.
, & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
12.
Belgrave, F. Z.
(1992). Improving health outcomes of African Americans: A challenge for African American psychologists. In A.K.H. Burlew, W. C. Banks, H. P. McAdoo, & D. A. Azibo (Eds.), African American psychology: Theory, research and practice (pp. 356-358). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
13.
Belgrave, F. Z.
, Molock, S. D., Kelley, K. S., & Nana-Sinham, P. (1991). Psychosocial factors influencing physical health in African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 18, 1-17.
14.
Braithwaite, R. L.
, & Lythcott, N. (1989). Community empowerment as a strategy for health promotion for Black and other minority populations. Journal of the American Medical Association, 261, 282-283.
15.
De La Cancela, V.
, Chin, J. L., & Jenkins, Y. M. (1998). Community health psychology: Empowerment for diverse communities. Boston: Routledge Kegan Paul.
16.
Finney, J. W.
, Mitchell, R. E., Cronkite, R. C., & Moos, R. H. (1984). Methodological issues in estimating main and interactive effects: Examples from coping/social support and stress field. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 25, 85-98.
17.
Ford, D. S.
, & Goode, C. R. (1994). African American college students’ health behaviors and perceptions of related health issues. Journal of American College Health, 42, 206-210.
18.
Gould, S. J.
(1990). Health consciousness and health behavior: The application of a new health consciousness scale. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 6(4), 228-237.
19.
Hollis, J. F.
, Carmody, T. P., Connor, S. L., Fey, S. G., & Matarazzo, J. D. (1986). The nutrition attitude survey: Associations with dietary habits, psychological and physical well-being, and coronary risk factors. Health Psychology, 5, 359-374.
20.
Holmbeck, G. N.
(1997). Toward terminological, conceptual, and statistical clarity in the study of mediators and moderators: Examples from the child-clinical and pediatric psychology literatures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 599-610.
21.
Kambon, K. K.
(1992). The African personality in America: An African-centered framework. Tallahassee, FL: Nubian Nation.
22.
Kambon, K. K.
(1996). An introduction to the African Self-Consciousness Scale. In R. L. Jones (Ed.), Handbook of tests and measurements for research on Black populations (pp. 207-215). Berkeley, CA: Cobb & Henry.
23.
Karenga, M.
(1990). The book of coming forth by day: The ethics of the declarations of innocence. Los Angeles, CA: University of Sankore Press.
24.
Mbiti, J. S.
(1990). African religions and philosophy. Oxford, UK: Heinemann.
25.
Myers, L. J.
(1993). Understanding an Afrocentric world view: Introduction to an optimal psychology. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
26.
Nobles, W.
(1986). African psychology: Toward its reclamation, reascension and revitalization. Oakland, CA: Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life and Culture.
27.
Nobles, W.
(1991). African philosophy: Foundations for Black psychology. In R. L. Jones (Ed.), Black psychology (3rd ed., pp. 47-63). Berkeley, CA: Cobb & Henry.
28.
Pender, N. J.
, Walker, S. N., Sechrist, K. R., & Frank-Stromborg, M. (1990). Predicting health-promoting lifestyles in the workplace. Nursing Research, 39(6), 326-332.
29.
Richards, D. M.
(1992). Let the circle be unbroken: The implications of African spirituality in the Diaspora. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea.
30.
Semmes, C. E.
(1996). Racism, health and post-industrialism: A theory of African American health. New York: Praeger.
31.
Thompson, S.
(1998). The role of culture in health research: Some considerations. Psych Discourse, 29(11), 5-7.
32.
United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics
. (1997). Health United States: 1997. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
33.
Walden, C.
(1994). The health status of African American college students: A literature review. Journal of American College Health, 42, 199-205.
34.
Walker, S. N.
, Sechrist, K. R., & Pender, N. J. (1987). The Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile: Development and psychometric characteristics. Nursing Research, 36(2), 76-81.
35.
Wallston, K. A.
, Wallston, B. S., & DeVellis, R. (1978). Development of the multidimensional health locus of control scales. Health Education Monographs, 6, 161-170.
36.
Weitzel, M. H.
, Hudak, J. L., Becker, H. A., Waller, P. R., & Stuifbergen, A. K. (1994). An exploratory analysis of health promotion beliefs and behaviors among white, Hispanic, and Black males. Family and Community Health, 17(3), 23-34.
37.
Williams, R. L.
(1981). The collective Black mind: An Afrocentric theory of Black personality. St. Louis, MO: Williams.
38.
Zahn, L.
, Cloutterbuck, J., Keshian, J., & Lombardi, L. (1998). Promoting health: Perspectives from ethnic elderly women. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 15, 31-44.
