Sense of generalised self-efficacy and pro-health behaviours of Polish and Spanish physical education students

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the sense of generalised self-efficacy and the level of pro-health behaviours among Polish and Spanish physical education students. The study was conducted among 499 physical education students (219 Polish and 280 Spanish). The Inventory of Health Behaviours (IZZ) by Z. Juczyński and the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) by R. Schwarzer, M. Jerusalem and Z. Juczyński were used. Among the categories of healthy behaviours included in the Inventory of Health Behaviours (IZZ), the physical education students obtained the highest average results in the area of positive mental attitude (22.26), less in the pro-health practices (20.10) and proper eating habits (19.85), and less again in the area of preventive behaviours (18.97). Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the intensification of the generalised sense of self-efficacy and the levels of positive mental attitude (p = 0.024) and preventive behaviours (p < 0.001). The moderating influence regarding home country on relationships between the generalised sense of self-efficacy and general index of pro-health behaviours (p = 0.024) was also demonstrated; in the case of the Spanish students the level of pro-health behaviours increased, but for the Polish students it decreased.

Keywords

• pro-health behaviours
• generalised self-efficacy
• physical education students