Motives for the adoption of protective health behaviours for men and women : an evaluation of the psychosocial-appraisal health model

The present study has been designed to: (1) evaluate the adequacy of a psychosocial-appraisal health model posited to explain the decision-making processes associated with the intention as well as the (non)practice of protective behaviours; and (2) test for sex differences in the hypothesized structural relations (both direct and indirect) between the model’s exogenous (psychosocial) and endogenous (cognitive appraisal) factors in representing the way health decisions are made. Results obtained from path analysis (N = 1269) provided overall support for the ‘fit’ of the hypothesized health model. The implications of the findings with regard to differences in male and female health status are discussed.