The broad objectives of this project are to test the models and mechanisms by which childhood personality traits predict adult health-related behaviors, health status and, eventually, mortality.
The specific aims are to test three increasingly complex versions of a health-behavior model in which personality traits influence health status through health behaviors, and to evaluate any cultural influences on these models. The participants comprise a cohort of middle-aged adults for whom unique and irreplaceable teacher personality assessments were obtained about 40 years ago. Specifically, 1,770 members of the original population of Hawaiian schoolchildren have been located and 1,055 have been recruited to participate in this longitudinal study of personality and health. The recruited sample is representative of the original population in terms of personality attributes and gender. Over the next five years, information about the participants' personality traits, health behaviors, and health outcomes will be obtained. The personality measures will be based on several different theoretical perspectives including the five-factor framework. Health behaviors will include dietary practices, physical activity levels, and tobacco and alcohol usage. Health outcomes will include objectively assessed physical fitness and flexibility, obesity, and cholesterol level. Assessment methods will include self-reports, reports from knowledgeable others, observer ratings, physical/medical examinations, and laboratory tests. ? ? Frequency and appraisals of stressful life events, coping strategies, and constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior will also be assessed to evaluate the more complex versions of the proposed health-behavior model. The effects on these models of cultural variables, socioeconomic status, and gender will be examined. The cross-sectional and longitudinal influences of personality traits will be evaluated by bivariate and multivariate linear models and structural equation modeling. This project will create a longitudinal data archive that will be a treasure chest for the scientific community for years to come.
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