GENDER, HEALTH BELIEFS, HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION

We conducted a study of the relationship between health beliefs, healt h practices, and alcohol consumption among women and men using the Hea lth Belief Model (HBM). The study sample (N = 41,104) was drawn from t he 1990 National Health Interview Survey. A 15% random sample was sele cted from the total data set for the purpose of selecting variables. A lcohol consumption was defined as a health-related behavior and was re gressed on demographic characteristics, health beliefs, and health pra ctices. Quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption were assessed fo r each gender, using the HEM. The HEM explained similar amounts of the variance in alcohol use for women and men. Quantity of alcohol consum ed accounted for more variance than did frequency of consumption. We c onclude that health beliefs and behaviors are related to alcohol consu mption after adjustment for demographic characteristics, and that diff erences exist between perceived risks and behaviors for both women and men.