SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR

The relationship of social ties to health behavior is studied in this paper. The general hypothesis tested is that those with social relatio nships are more likely to avoid health damaging behavior. Patterns reg arding specific social ties and particular health behaviors are examin ed. Findings indicate the relationships of spouse, organization member , and friend are related to preventive health behavior; spouses are le ss likely smokers, drinkers, and heavy drinkers. friend relationship i s related to decreased smoking behavior, while the employee relationsh ip is related to increased drinking. A consistent predictor of health behaviors is the social tie of organization member. People with relati onships as organization members are more likely always to wear seat be lts, smoke and drink less, and consume lower amounts of these substanc es.