Health concerns in households

Abstract

In a group of 330 participants from 147 different households, we examined the hypothesis that the importance of health concerns differs according to the kind of household task at hand and according to the position one takes in the household organization. Results show (1) that health concerns are generally more important than concern for other values; (2) that the importance of health concerns varies largely from one household task to another. Health is considered especially important in body care, nutrition and the organization of leisure time, but much less important in the domains of social contact, clothing and maintenance; (3) that the perceived importance of health differs according to the position one takes within the household, health being most important for household members with intermediate levels of responsibility. Results are interpreted as supporting the idea that health behaviour is partly regulated at a ‘supra-individual’ level of control.