The Relationship of the Health Locus of Control, eHealth Literacy and Health-Promoting Lifestyle in Predicting the Quality of Life among the Iranian Population in Northeast Iran: A Path Analysis

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.

2 Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

3 Student Research Committee, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.

4 Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Nursing Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Quality of life (QOL) is multidimensional. Adopting a healthy lifestyle has a profoundly positive impact on people's QOL. It appears that factors such as the health locus of control (HLOC) and electronic health literacy (eHL) can play a significant role in adopting healthy behaviors, improving lifestyle, and ultimately enhancing QOL. Therefore, this study determined the relationship between HLOC, eHL, and health-promoting lifestyle with QOL.

Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional and performed among 753 participants 18 years or over referred to comprehensive health service centers in Gonabad in 2023. Five standard questionnaires were used to collect information: demographic profile questionnaire, an HLOC questionnaire, an eHL questionnaire, a health-promotion lifestyle questionnaire, and a QOL questionnaire. SPSS version 21 and the AMOS version 24 were used for data analysis. 

Results: The mean (± standard deviation) age of the participants was 34.39 (± 12.43). The variables of chance HLOC, internal HLOC, HLOC of powerful people, eHL, and health-promoting lifestyle predicted 38% of the variance of QOL (R2 = 0.38). Among the variables, health-promoting lifestyle (estimated total effect = 0.615) had the greatest impact on QOL. Based on the results of the path analysis, the chance variables of HLOC, internal HLOC, HLOC of powerful people, and EHL were able to predict 12% of the variance of a health-promoting lifestyle (R2 = 0.12).

Conclusion: The results of this research indicate the effectiveness of the variables of HLOC, eHL, and health-promoting lifestyle in improving the QOL. Therefore, considering that a healthy promotion lifestyle plays a key role in strengthening and maintaining the health of individuals in society, it is necessary to guide societal actions and health policies to promote and improve the QOL. Therefore, educational programs should focus on these variables to enhance people’s quality of life.

Keywords

Acknowledgements: This article is the result of a research project approved by the Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. The authors express their gratitude to the esteemed Vice President of Research and Technology at the university for allocating funding for this project and to all those who cooperated and assisted in this research.


Availability of data and materials: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.


Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.


Consent for publication: Not applicable.


Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study is based on a research project approved by the Ethics Committee of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences with the code of ethics IR.GMU.REC.1401.046. All procedures performed in this study were performed according to the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable. After explaining the research objectives to the participants, they were assured that their personal information would remain confidential, and informed consent was obtained from all individuals.


Funding: This research received funding from the Gonabad University of Medical Science, Iran.


Author contributions: Authors MD, AJ, MM, AA, ME, and ZB designed the study. MD, AJ, MM, AA, ME, and ZB participated in the conception of the study. MD, MM, and AJ managed and conducted the statistical analyses and interpreted the data. AJ and MD wrote the first draft, and MM and AA revised it to make the final manuscript. All authors have approved the final manuscript.

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 

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Journal of Health Literacy

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Available Online from 13 July 2025

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