The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that individuals reporting healthy lifestyle behaviors would also report better self-rated mental health. Logistic regression analyses were conducted utilizing SUDAAN on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data set. This descriptive analysis suggests that persons reporting poor mental health were more likely to report unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. This set of findings encourages careful design of experimental studies of empirically based associations of mental health and life style, using psychometrically sound measures. Then public health programs focused on change of health-related behaviors might be more suitably devised.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2000) Measuring healthy days. Atlanta, GA: Author.
2.
FordF. S.MoriartyD. G.ZackM. M.MokdadA. H.ChapmanD. P. (2001) Self-reported body mass index and health-related quality of life: findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Obesity Research, 9, 21–31.
3.
IdlerE. L.BenyaminiY. (1997) Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 21–37.
4.
MoriartyD. G.KobauM. M. Zack (2003) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's healthy day measures population tracking of perceived physical and mental health over time. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 1, 37.
5.
PijlsL. T.FeskensF. J.KromhoutD. (1993) Self-rated health, mortality, and chronic diseases in elderly men: a Zutphen study, 1985-1990. American Journal of Epidemiology, 138, 840–848.
StrineT. W.BallluzL.ChapmanD. P.MoriartyD. G.OwensM.MokdadA. H. (2004) Risk behaviors and healthcare coverage among adults by frequent mental distress status, 2001. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26, 213–216.
8.
WilliamsonD. A.O'NeillP. M. (1998) Behavioral and psychological correlates of obesity. In BrayG. A.BouchardC.JamesW. P. T. (Eds.), Handbook of obesity. New York: Marcel Dekker. Pp. 129–142.
