PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLES IN BLACK AND WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS
The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of healthy practices among 250 Black and 250 White South Africans chosen by systematic random sampling. Results indicated that Blacks practiced on average above 7 and Whites above 8 healthy behaviors from a total of 13. For most healthy practices significant differences were found between Whites and Blacks. Analysis of Variance showed that a number of sociodemographic variables, health benefits, subjective health and subjective well-being were positively associated with healthy practices. Multiple stepwise regression analysis found that independent predictors for the health practices index were women, having children, Whites, formal education, and worse health status.