Age, relative autonomy and change in health locus of control beliefs: a longitudinal study of members of a health-promotion facility.

Health locus of control (HLC) describes an individual's characteristic attribution of health outcomes to internal or external causes. This four-year longitudinal study examined changes in HLC beliefs among 124 members of a health-promotion facility, related to their age (22-81) and relative autonomy toward health-related goals. HLC beliefs changed with age as developmental theories of control striving would predict.

Two views of self-rated general health status.

Global self-evaluations of health have proven to be sensitive predictors of morbidity and mortality. Yet researchers have only a limited understanding of how these self-evaluations are reached. This research compares two interpretations of self-rated health, as reflecting either a spontaneous assessment of one's health status and related practices, or an aspect of one's enduring self-concept.