Health locus of control of polish undergraduates: gender, faculty and type of physical activity differences

Abstract

Background: To effectively realise professional tasks, physical education (PE) teachers, physiotherapists and personal trainers should be convinced as to the fact that health depends on their behaviour and actions. The aim of the research was to investigate possible differences in health locus of control (HLC) between faculties, gender and type of physical activity. Material/Methods: The subjects were 241 undergraduates (111 female and 130 male ones) from the faculty of physical education (n = 96), tourism and recreation (n = 74) and physiotherapy (n = 71), who practiced sports (n = 101) or were involved in recreational physical activity (n = 140). The Polish version of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC; Wallston & DeVellis) was applied. Data on physical activity and academic status were collected with a survey prepared by the authors. Results: Results show that Polish undergraduates presented a moderate level of a belief in personal control over their health. MHLC scores were only slightly dependent on students' gender, faculty and type of physical activity. Conclusions: Comparisons with earlier research data show that greater differences in HLC appear among undergraduates of the same faculties but from different universities than among students from various faculties within one university. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR