The Role of Family Communication in Individual Health Attitudes and Behaviors Concerning Diet and Physical Activity

Abstract

This study explored associations among family communication patterns (conversation and conformity orientations), health-specific communication variables, health attitudes, and health behaviors in a sample of 433 family dyads (N = 866). As expected, results of multilevel models revealed that individuals’ health attitudes were strongly associated with their self-reported health behaviors. Findings also suggested that perceived confirmation from a family member during health-specific conversations (a) directly influenced health attitudes, (b) partially accounted for the positive relationship between family conversation orientation and health attitudes, and (c) partially accounted for the inverse relationship between family conformity orientation and health attitudes. Similarly, frequency of health-specific communication (a) directly influenced health attitudes, (b) partially accounted for the positive relationship between family conversation orientation and health attitudes, and (c) directly associated with health behaviors. Results from an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) supported the aforementioned within-person association between a person's own health attitudes and health behaviors, as well as a positive relationship between young adults’ health attitudes and their influential family member's health behaviors. Implications of these findings are discussed as they relate to theory and obesity prevention.

Acknowledgments

This research was adapted from the first author's dissertation. The work was supported in part by funding from the Department of Communication, University of Missouri (to Elizabeth A. Baiocchi-Wagner) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant K99 AA019974 (to Amelia E. Talley).

Notes

¹Obesity occurs with severe weight gain (body mass index [BMI], i.e., weight divided by square of the height, is ≥30 kg/m²; CDC, 2008; Kim & Kawachi, 2008).

²Pilot-study information available from first author.

³Permission to use this assessment was obtained by the first author.

⁴This is perhaps more a reflection of society, however, as recent census information confirms that a majority of children live with two heterosexual parents (U.S. Census Bureau News, 2008).