2005/03/01 by William C. Cockerham · 11 citations
Health Professions · Arts and Humanities · #Obesity and Health Practices #Mental Health and Patient Involvement #Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes
paper · doi:10.1177/002214650504600105
This article utilizes the agency-structure debate as a framework for constructing a health lifestyle theory. No such theory currently exists, yet the need for one is underscored by the fact that many daily lifestyle practices involve considerations of health outcomes. An individualist paradigm has influenced concepts of health lifestyles in several disciplines, but this approach neglects the structural dimensions of such lifestyles and has limited applicability to the empirical world. The direction of this article is to present a theory of health lifestyles that includes considerations of both agency and structure, with an emphasis upon restoring structure to its appropriate position. The article begins by defining agency and structure, followed by presentation of a health lifestyle model and the theoretical and empirical studies that support it.