This qualitative study was designed to gain an insight into the ways in which adolescents and young adults managed ?self? in their day - to - day diabetes management. It also examined the effect that illness self representations had on that management. A grounded theory approach using a symbolic interactionist framework was adopted based on 27 in- depth semi structured interviews with adolescents and young adults with diabetes. Respondents described the effects of diabetes management on the physical, emotional, social and related selves. They also described their various illness self representations. It often took an inordinate amount of work for the respondents to manage their diabetes. This ?management? work could be related to problems with their physiological control, emotional stressors, the need to be socially interactive, differing priorities or relational issues. Certainly even the most resilient respondents experienced periods of vulnerability and needed to nurture the ?self? The study generates new knowledge which builds upon the existing body of knowledge relating to the management of self in adolescents and young adults in the context of T1DM. The study established that whilst some health professionals are sensitive and cognizant of the needs of adolescents and young adults with diabetes, there is room for improvement in the way in which health professionals understand the complexities involved in diabetes management for adolescents and young adults / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Gluten-related disorders (GRDs) refer to a group of conditions that are caused by the ingestion of the gluten proteins present in wheat, barley, and rye. The global prevalence of GRDs is estimated to range from 0.6% to 10.6% of the general population, making it a significant global health issue. Treatment of GRDs requires dietary gluten avoidance. In China, there is believed to be a growing number of people with GRDs associated with changing eating patterns, increasing awareness, and better detection methods of these conditions in China. However, there is a lack of research about how to help this population maintain a restrictive diet and navigate food and social environment. The main purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted low-gluten diet intervention among young adults in southeastern China. This study was a pre-post study design to investigate whether the intervention is effective in helping participants maintain a low-gluten diet for eight weeks. Participants were 62 young adults living on campus in southeastern China. Image-based food records and questionnaires were used to assess their dietary adherence, dietary quality, satisfaction, knowledge, self-efficacy, and other related determinants of following a low-gluten diet. Results suggested good feasibility of this dietary intervention. Only 1.9% of the total items consumed during the intervention was high-gluten or likely-high-gluten items, such as processed meat, mixed dishes, and fried food, and traditional noodles, suggesting an overall good compliance to the low-gluten diet. Specifically, over 95% of participants were found to be compliant with the diet based on all adherence measures. Females had better compliance than males (p=0.005 based on frequency, p=0.039 based on grams of gluten intake). Results also suggested good acceptability of this dietary intervention. All participants found the dietary intervention to be satisfactory with group communication and reminders rated to be the most helpful components. The perceived difficulty level of maintaining the low-gluten diet was 6.34 out of 10 (10 being the most difficult). The most rated barriers were fewer food choices and change of eating habits. Participants reported having more perceived barriers at the end of study compared to the beginning of the study, mean (SD) 17.19 (5.82) vs. 16.13 (4.19) out of 32, p = 0.285. Motivation scores were significantly lower at the end of study compared to the beginning of the study, mean (SD) 11.66 (2.21) vs. 13.40 (2.37) out of 16, p < 0.001. Increased perceived barriers and decreased motivation may suggest that they experienced more challenges in maintaining the low-gluten diet at the end of this two-month intervention. During the intervention, participants had significantly lower calories, carbohydrates, and vitamin B1 (thiamin) intake compared to baseline (p <0.05). Participants’ average dietary diversity score had no significant difference compared to baseline, 7.68 (1.10) vs. 7.69 (1.35), p=0.96. Participants had increased objective knowledge (p<0.0001), subjective knowledge (p< 0.0001), and behavioral capability (p<0.0001) compared to baseline. However, univariate and multivariate regression analyses did not find significant predicting effects of any determinants on dietary adherence. Our dietary assessment method, the image-based food records, was shown to be a reasonably valid and reliable tool to estimate the dietary intake among Chinese young adults based on comparison to weighted food records with the Bland–Altman plot and inter-rater reliability test (Cohen’s kappa=0.875). These findings suggested that a culturally adapted low-gluten dietary intervention was feasible and acceptable among Chinese young adults. Improvement on long-term dietary adherence and more research on determinants is needed. This study may inform health practitioners and policy makers to provide better culturally tailored support to patients who need to follow a low-gluten diet in China.

Obesity is a major public health problem and is a risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In addition, the prevalence of obesity appears to be increasing worldwide, making it important to determine the nature and extent of obesity in populations at risk. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of body mass index (BMI) in Taiwanese adults 19 through 44 years old. Independent variables from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) included biological factors (age and sex), dietary factors (energy intake and fat intake), environmental factors (educational level, residence area, and nutrition knowledge), and lifestyle factors (leisure time physical activity, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption). Results indicated that nearly 40% of the 1,182 adult survey participants were obese or overweight, by Taiwanese standards. Regression analysis found that significant predictors of BMI were residence area, educational level, and age. Taiwanese adults more likely to have higher BMIs were from the mountainous area, had less education. An increase in ten years of age was related to an average increase in BMI of 1.13 kg/m�� (p<0.0001), controlling for other variables. These three factors accounted for 21% of the variance in all adults (15% of the variance in men, and 28% of the variance in women). In addition, smoking was a predictor of higher BMI in males, and alcohol intake was a predictor for higher BMI in females. Energy intake, fat intake, leisure time physical activity, and nutrition knowledge were not significant predictors for either males or females. The findings from this study will help public health professionals identify target areas and program needs to reduce obesity in Taiwan, particularly in the mountainous areas where the prevalence of obesity/overweight was seventy percent. / Graduation date: 2004

This study contributes to a growing body of knowledge about diet and about exercise behaviors of young adults. This information is needed if we are to plan public health campaigns designed to reduce the risk of chronic disease through more healthful eating habits and a more active lifestyle. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 18-24 year old Oregonians. It included questions about factors influencing food choices, exercise behavior questions, and a food frequency questionnaire. The final sample of 57 exercisers and 70 non-exercisers was examined for differences in opinion about the healthfulness of specific foods, relatedness between opinions and consumption of these foods, and general adequacy of dietary intake. Factor analysis demonstrated a relationship between the constructs "not fattening/fattening" and "good for my health/not good for my health", which we called the "healthfulness" factor and examined further. Opinion about the healthfulness of 20 foods was evaluated. Exercisers were similar to non-exercisers, and in general did not have stronger opinions about the healthfulness of certain foods than the non-exercisers. There were more differences among exercisers stratified by those exercising more frequently, and those exercising less frequently. Consumption of most foods was not related to opinions about the healthfulness of the food for exercisers or nonexercisers. It may be that opinions about the healthfulness of a food, influence a young adult's consumption of that food, but only for foods not considered very tasty. Neither exercisers nor non-exercisers had dietary intakes which compared well with Food Guide Pyramid minimum recommendations, although exercisers did come closer to eating 2 fruits per day than did non-exercisers. For other food groups the trend was for more exercisers to meet the minimum recommendations than non-exercisers, and more males to meet the minimum intakes than females. Overall, consumption of the meat/meat alternate group was closest to recommendations, followed by fruits, grains, dairy, and vegetables. Both groups rated highly the importance of eating nutritious foods, while exercisers felt more confident in their ability to read nutrition labels. Young adults perceive time to be their scarcest resource in matters of food consumption. / Graduation date: 1996

Objectives: Having cancer in young adulthood increases the risk of adverse long-term health effects. These risks can be influenced by one’s health behavior (HB). The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the presence of health behavior in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and to identify associated factors. Design: Young cancer patients (18–39 years old at time of diagnosis) were surveyed at baseline and 12 months later via online or as a paper-pencil version. Methods: A spectrum of indicators for HB was assessed via seven items from the Questionnaire of Multiple Health Behavior (MHB). Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with patients’ HB indicators. Results: Five-hundred and fourteen AYAs (75% women) reported the highest level of health-conscious behavior for “avoidance of consumption of nicotine,” “follow medical recommendations,” and “being considerate in road traffic.” Less health-conscious behavior was reported for “keeping an appropriate and balanced diet” and “physical activity.” Significant improvements from baseline to the follow-up were observed for “regularly attending health screening” (Hedges’ g = 0.44). The analyzed factors explained up to 10% of the HB indicators. Women reported significantly more healthconscious behavior than men in four out of seven HB indicators. Higher quality of life (QoL) was associated with more health behavior in three out of seven HB indicators. Conclusion: Findings show a predominantly health-conscious lifestyle in AYA cancer patients, though we also found harmful behavior which needs to be better approached—e.g., through improving AYAs’ health education. AYA men should be particularly targeted in specific prevention and health promotion measures. Future work should identify other factors associated with HB to evaluate targets for intervention.

Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Hypertension is on the increase among patients as found on the Routine Monthly Report (RMR) at Kayamandi Clinic. The staggering figures showed that the number of patients with hypertension between January 2009 until December 2009 was 5 754. It was further identified on the Routine Monthly Report (RMR) statistics that, more and more young adults between 18 and 40 years who are visiting the clinic for other health problems are diagnosed with hypertension and its complications. The incident rate of these young adults ranges between 151 and 340 per month. It is very alarming that some of them who are diagnosed with hypertension never return for further follow-up visits and are at risk of debilitating complications which are preventable in later life. The objectives of this study were to determine the knowledge young adult patients have of: • hypertension • the management of hypertension • the complications of hypertension. The study adopted a descriptive, exploratory design with a quantitative approach. The research question determines the research design or approach. In this case a broad overview is necessary of the knowledge young adults at Kayamandi Clinic have on the topic of hypertension. This then serves as a platform for further in-depth studies on this phenomenon. A yes/no scale was used to collect data. The questionnaire was designed in such a way that the participants could understand all the questions. The layout of the questionnaire was easy and the questions were straightforward. The questionnaires were written in English, Xhosa and Afrikaans. After the translation of the questionnaires, a second person scrutinized it for the correctness of the Xhosa translation. An interpreter assisted with the questionnaire in the Xhosa speaking community at the time of data collection, where a language barrier was anticipated. The Cronbach’s alpha test was used to test the reliability of the questionnaire. Informed consent was obtained from each participant. Permission was obtained from the University of Stellenbosch via the Health Research Ethical Committee ((HREC). Permission was also obtained from the Director: Department of Health, Western Cape Province and the authorities of the Cape Wine lands district. A statistician from the University of Stellenbosch was consulted regarding the data analysis and the interpretation of the data. Data was articulated in the form of frequency tables and histograms. The Spearman test was used to determine the correlation between variables. 10% of the participants used in the pilot study were from Cloetesville Clinic and 21% of the participants used for the main study were from Kayamandi Clinic, that is n=210 participants. The results of the study showed that for the n=172 participants that partook in the study, there was a correlation between complications and hypertension but no correlation on lifestyle management. Statistical associations were determined by using the Spearman test on a 95% confidence interval between various variables. The normal descriptive statistical analysis was completed. The implication of the results of this study is that high blood pressure can affect young and old people. Recommendations consist of on going health promotion and continuous education that include both old and young people. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hipertensie is aan die toeneem onder die pasiënte soos gevind in die maandelikse roetine-verslag.Die skokkende syfers soos gerapporteer in die maandelikse roetine-verslag,wys dat die aantal pasiënte met hipertensie by Kayamandi-kliniek van Januarie 2009 tot Desember 2009 was 5 754. Dit is verder geidentifiseer in die maandelikse roetine-verslag dat al hoe meer jong mense tussen die ouderdomsgroep van 18 to 40 jaar oud wat die kliniek vir ander siektetoestande besoek, met hipertensie en verwante komplikasies gediagnoseer word. Die voorkomssyfer van jongmense met hipertensie wissel tussen 151 tot 340 per maand. Dit is sorgwekkend dat sommige van die pasiënte nadat hulle met hipertensie gediagnoseer is, nie terugkeer na die kliniek vir verdere opvolgbesoeke nie en daardeur blootgestel word aan uitmêrgelende komplikasies in hul latere leeftyd wat voorkombaar is. Die doelwitte van die studie is om jong volwasse pasiënte se kennis vas te stel ten opsigte van: • hipertensie • die behandeling van hipertensie • die komplikasies van hipertensie. Die studie neem die vorm van ʼn beskrywende, verkennende ontwerp met ʼn kwantitatiewe benadering aan. Die navorsingsvraag bepaal die navorsingsontwerp of benaderring. In hierdie geval is ʼn breë oorsig nodig van die kennis van jong volwassenes by Kayamandi-kliniek oor die onderwerp aangaande hipertensie. Dit dien dan as basis vir verdere indringende studies rakende hierdie fenomeen. ʼn Ja/nee skaal is gebruik om data te versamel. Die vraelys is ontwerp op ʼn manier sodat die deelnemers dit kan verstaan. Die uitleg van die vraelys is eenvoudig en die vrae maklik. Die vraelys is geskryf in Engels,Xhosa en Afrikaans.Na die vertaling van die vraelys,is dit deur ʼn tweede person wat ook Xhosa magtig is nagegaan om die korrektheid van die vraelys te verseker. ʼn Tolk het gehelp met die vraelys ten tye van data-insamelling in die Xhosa- sprekende gemeenskap, waar taal ʼn moontlike probleem kon wees. Die Cronbach alpha- toets was gedoen om die betroubaarheid van die vraelys te toets. Ingeligte toestemming was verkry van elke deelnemer. Toestemming was verkry van die Universiteit deur middel van die Gesondheids Navorsings Etiese Kommitee (GNEK). Toestemming was ook verkry van die Direkteur: Departement van Gesondheid, Wes Kaap Provinsie en die owerhede van die Kaap Wynland streek. ʼn Statistiekus van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch was geraadpleeg aangaande die data analise. Data was geartikuleer in die vorm van frekwensies in tabelle en histogramme. Die Spearman-toets is gebruik om die korrelasie tussen variante vas te stel .10% van die deelnemers wat vir die loodprojek gebruik is, is van Cloetesville-kliniek. 21% van die deelnemers wat vir die hoofstudie gebruik is, is van die Kayamandi-kliniek , dus ʼn total van n=210 deelnemers. Die studie het bewys dat vir n=172 deelnemers wat aan die studie deelgeneem het, daar ʼn korrelasie tussen die komplikasies en die hipertensie toestand is, maar geen korrelasie met leefstylgewoontes is gevind nie. Statistiese assosiasies is bepaal deur gebruik te maak van die Spearman-toets op ʼn 95%-interval tussen verskeie variante. Die normale, beskrywende statistiese analise is voltooi. Die implikasie van die resultate van die studie, is dat hoë bloeddruk jonk en ouer mense affekteer. Aanbevelings dui op aanhoudende gesondheids promosies en voortdurende opvoeding wat jonk en ouer persone insluit.

Thesis (MComm (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Numerous individuals daily partake in injurious consumption, such as excessive or unhealthy food choices. Individuals’ incorrect food choices can have a negative effect on their weight, health and general quality of life. Marketers could and should play a pivotal role in influencing consumers’ food choices, which will ultimately contribute to healthier individuals and societies as a whole. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between self-concept and food choice, self-efficacy and food choice, emotional states and food choice, and weight perception and food choice, and to highlight implications for marketers based on these findings. These relationships were investigated in a Generation Y sample. A sample of 383 college-aged1 students of Generation Y completed a self-administered questionnaire that was designed based on previous studies. Respondents’ weight perception was also investigated as many students from Generation Y try to change their weight perceptions through their food choices. Respondents’ food choice was compared to the recommended food choice of the South African Department of Health (Department of Health, 2009). Based on this comparison, it was proposed that marketers of food products should promote a decrease in respondents’ meat consumption and an increase in milk, fruit, vegetable and starch consumption. Small yet significant relationships between respondents’ specific food choices and self-concept, self-efficacy, emotional states and weight perception were found. Marketers can incorporate these relationships into their advertising campaigns and brand slogans in order to positively influence Generation Y to make healthier food choices. Another significant finding was that male respondents indicated a higher ideal weight than their actual weight, while female respondents indicated a lower ideal weight than their actual weight. A relationship was also found between self-concept and weight perception for both men and women from Generation Y. The significance of this study lies in the expansion of knowledge regarding the food choice behaviour of a Generation Y sample and the recommendations made to marketers based on relationships found between food choice and the constructs at hand. These recommendations can ultimately improve consumers’ food choice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verskeie individue neem daagliks deel aan nadelige verbruik, met inbegrip van oormatige of ongesonde voedselkeuses. Individue se foutiewe voedselkeuse kan hul gewig, gesondheid en lewensgehalte negatief beïnvloed. Bemarkers kan en behoort 'n belangrike rol te speel om individue te oortuig om gesonde voedselkeuses te maak. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die verhouding tussen self-konsep en voedselkeuse, selfekwiteit (‘self-efficacy’) en voedselkeuse, emosionele toestande en voedselkeuse en gewigspersepsie en voedselkeuse te ondersoek en om die implikasies hiervan gebaseer op hierdie bevindings aan bemarkers voor te lê. ʼn Steekproef van 383 lede van Generasie Y het ’n vraelys ingevul wat ontwerp is op grond van vorige navorsing. Respondente se gewigspersepsie is ook bestudeer aangesien verskeie studente (universiteitsouderdom) van Generasie Y poog om hul gewigspersepsie te verander deur middel van hul voedselkeuses. Respondente se voedselkeuses is vergelyk met die voedselkeuses wat aanbeveel word deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Departement van Gesondheid (Department of Health 2009). Op grond van die vergelyking is bevind dat bemarkers ʼn afname in individue se vleisinname, en ʼn toename in individue se melk-, vrugte-, groente- en styselinname behoort te bevorder. Die ondersoek het getoon dat daar klein, maar beduidende verhoudings aangetref is tussen respondente se spesifieke voedselkeuses en self-konsep, self-effektiwiteit, emosionele toestande en gewigspersepsie. Bemarkers kan hierdie verhoudings in hul bemarkingsveldtogte en handelsmerk-slagspreuke inkorporeer. Nog ʼn beduidende resultaat was dat die manlike respondente ʼn hoër ideale gewig as hul huidige gewig aangedui het, terwyl vroulike respondente ʼn laer ideale gewig as hul huidige gewig aangedui het. Die resultate toon ook dat daar vir beide mans en vroue van Generasie Y ʼn verhouding tussen self-konsep en gewigspersepsie is. Deur middel van hierdie studie is kennis rakende die voedselkeuses van ʼn steekproef van Generasie Y uitgebrei. Aan die hand van die verhoudings tussen voedselkeuse en respondente se self-konsep, self-effektiwiteit, emosionele toestande en gewigspersepsie, is daar aanbevelings vir bemarkers gemaak. Hierdie aanbevelings sal uiteindelik bydra tot die verbetering van Generasie Y se voedselkeuses.

Today in the United States, herbal supplements are growing increasingly popular, however, little is known about the safety and efficacy of these products. This study contributes to the growing body of information about the prevalence of herbal supplement use among young adults (18 to 24 years) and the beliefs young adults hold about herbal supplements in relation to their dietary attitudes and behaviors. A self-administered, four-part questionnaire was mailed to a geographically representative sample of 298 young adults (18 to 24 years) residing in Oregon; 205 questionnaires were usable (69% response rate). There was an equal ratio of male and female respondents, half students and half non-students, the majority being Caucasian (93%), with a mean age of 21.5 years. Nearly 60% of the sample reported using herbal supplements (n=122). Thirty-seven percent were sometime users (less than weekly) and 22% were regular users (at least weekly). More female respondents reported using herbal supplements (69%) than did male respondents (49%). Respondents who were White or Asian/Pacific Islander were the only ethnic groups that reported using herbal supplements regularly. Users were more educated than non-users, however use was very similar among students and non-students. Herbal supplement use also was very similar between respondents having different residencies. Familiarity with different herbs was positively related to level of herbal supplement use. Regular users were familiar with the greatest number of herbs, followed by sometime users. Herbal supplement users tended to have more healthful lifestyle characteristics than non-users. Frequency of fast food patronage was negatively related to level of herbal supplement use. The median number of times a fast food restaurant was patronized was lower among regular users of herbal supplements than among those who did not use supplements or used them less often. The median number of times breakfast was eaten also seemed to be slightly higher among regular users than other groups. Other healthful lifestyle characteristics, such as BMI and drinking in moderation, did not tend to be more healthful among herbal supplement users. The results were mixed on smoking behavior. Regular users of herbal supplements were no more or less likely than non-users to smoke, but non-users were less likely than sometime users to smoke. Regular users of herbal supplements tended to think herbal supplements are useful for certain health parameters more often than sometime users and non-users. Most regular users of herbal supplements agreed herbs are useful for maintaining good health (89%) and preventing/treating common illnesses like colds (85%). Almost two-thirds also thought herbs are useful for preventing serious chronic illnesses (61%) and insuring a well-balanced diet (65%). Attitudes toward the effectiveness, convenience, and expense of taking herbal supplements in comparison to eating a balanced diet as ways of staying healthy were related to herbal supplement use. Herbal supplement users did not appear to have positive attitudes towards herbs when comparing herbs to a well-balanced diet. Only 11% of users thought that herbs are more effective than diet as ways to stay healthy, and users were more likely than non-users to think herbs are more expensive ways to stay healthy. However, both levels of users were more likely to think herbal supplements are more convenient than diet. Attitudes about the effectiveness, safety, expense, naturalness, potency, and personal control of taking herbal supplements in comparison to prescription medications was related to level of herbal supplement use. In general the trend was for users to be more likely to have positive attitudes toward herbs and less likely to give a "don't know" answer. Eating the recommended number of food guide pyramid servings of fruits and vegetables as well as eating a greater number of nutrient rich vegetables was not related to herbal supplement use. However, a somewhat higher percentage of herbal supplement users tended to meet the fruit and vegetable recommendations than nonusers of herbal supplements. Stage of change in relation to vegetable intake was related to herbal supplement use. As respondents' herbal supplement use increased, so did the likelihood of classifying themselves into one of the action stages of change for vegetable consumption. Stage of change for fruit consumption was not related to herbal supplement use. Choice to stop using herbs if they were pronounced unsafe by a governmental agency was not related to level of herbal supplement use. However, 17% of sometime users and 16% of regular users reported that they would continue to use herbs even after they were pronounced unsafe by a governmental agency. The results of this study clearly show that there is a high prevalence of herbal supplement use among young adults in Oregon, and those who are using herbal supplements seem to have a strong belief in the herbs they are taking. With the limited knowledge on herbs' safety and efficacy, young adults need to be educated about the herbs they are using. Hopefully, the information from this study can help health professionals identify which young adults might be using herbal supplements in order to educate them on making smart choices about herbs, and smart choices about their overall health. To inform young adults about the herbs they are using, additional research on herbal supplements' potential benefits and harmful side effects is needed. / Graduation date: 2002

Physical inactivity and unhealthful diet are major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, and strategies worldwide now focus on improving diet and encouraging physical activity (PA). Participation in PA lowers the risk for numerous chronic diseases, while a healthful diet also offers resistance to disease. However, practicing both behaviors offers greater protection than practicing either behavior alone. Research evaluating the relationship of diet and PA has focused primarily on nutrients or food groups. Little research exists on PA and overall diet quality, and no research has used the Healthy Eating Index 2005 (HEI-2005) to assess diet quality in healthy young adults, the objective of the current study. To this end, a convenience sample of 70 healthy, young adults was recruited from a university community in 2005-2006. Dietary intake was measured with 7-d weighed food records and HEI-2005 scores were computed to assess diet quality. PA was obtained from 7-d activity records accounting for all minutes of each day. Linear regression models were used to assess the association of HEI-2005 scores to participation in moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA. In this sample, HEI-2005 scores increased as weekly minutes of PA increased (p=0.006, B=0.007). When PA was examined categorically, only the VeryHighPA (≥841 min/week) group had diet quality scores significantly higher than the LowPA (≤420 min/week) group, independent of age, BMI, and gender (p=0.033, B=7.987). Further studies are warranted to clarify the relationship of these health behaviors, an especially important topic as prevalence of obesity and chronic disease continues to rise. / Graduation date: 2013

As the leading cause of death in the United States, coronary heart disease (CHD) is a growing public health problem, despite the fact that many risk factors for the disease are preventable, especially if addressed early in life. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of loss-framed versus gain-framed versus information-only health messages on both intention to attend and actual attendance at an appointment to get screened for CHD risk factors (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia). It was hypothesized that a population of young adults would be more likely to view screening for CHD risk factors as a low-risk, health-affirming behavior as opposed to a risky, illness-detecting behavior and would thus be more strongly influenced by gain-framed messages than loss-framed messages. Additional goals included the exploration of the extensively researched individual health beliefs of perceived threat (as defined by the health belief model) and health locus of control as they relate to message frames. One hundred forty-three undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either the loss-framed, gain-framed, or information-only control conditions. Framing manipulation checks revealed that participants failed to discern differences in the tone and emphasis of the experimental pamphlets. As a result, no tests of framing effects could be conducted. Sixteen (11.2%) of the 143 participants who participated in Part 1 of the experiment participated in Part 2 (i.e., attended a risk factor screening appointment). Multiple regression analysis revealed risk index, age, and powerful others health locus of control as significant predictors of screening intention. Gender was the only demographic or health related variable that was significantly related to screening outcome, such that women were more likely to get screened than men. Limitations and recommendations are discussed.