USING MULTIPLE INDICATORS TO TEST THE DIMENSIONALITY OF CONCEPTS IN THE HEALTH PROMOTION MODEL

Data from 197 randomly selected male adults were analyzed in order to examine the dimensionality of two of the concepts in the Health Promot ion Model-perceived control of health and definition of health. The mo del, tested with LISREL, examines the impact of age on exercise with t he key concepts modeled as intervening variables. The addition of mult iple indicators resulted in a model that failed to meet the data const raints, thereby calling into question the putative dimensionality of p erceived control of health and definition of health. The proportionali ty constraints within multiple-indicator structural equation models se em to provide a more stringent test of whether several indicators meas ure the same concept than the test provided by the internal consistenc y constraints implicit in factor analysis. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.