Weight locus of control and weight-related attitudes and behaviors in an overweight population

Rotter's [Psychol. Monogr. 80 (1966)] construct of internal-external contro l of reinforcement led to the conceptualization of locus of control as a pe rsonality construct that can be used to predict behavior. More specific mea sures of locus of control in particular behavioral domains have followed. I n the present study, the Weight Locus of Control Scale (WLOC) was used to p redict weight-related attitudes and behaviors of overweight individuals, as well as their responses to health education materials (HEM) on weight loss . The WLOC scores predicted responses to baseline weight-related measures s uch as etiology of obesity, confidence in weight loss behaviors, and behavi oral intention. In addition, WLOC scores predicted participants' reactions to the HEM, as well as the actual number of weight loss ideas from the HEM that the participants tried by the 1-month follow-up assessment. The result s are discussed in terms of the validity of the WLOC and implications for f uture development of effective HEM. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.