Impact of Education on One's Perceived Health Locus of Control

Objectives: To assess the changes in a person's Health Locus of Control (HLoC) with the increasing level of education and the impact of gender on it.
Methods: A randomised sample of 100 individuals was chosen between the ages of 35-44 in Lahore. Collection of data was done using a self-administered questionnaire comprising of 12 questions covering all 3 aspects of HLoC i.e Internal, External and Powerful Others and the education level of individuals. It was mandatory for all participants to fill out the questionnaire after an informed consent. Data entry and statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 20. The final sample size consisted of 63% males and 37% females. 30% of the samples were illiterate, 20% had a Secondary School Certificate (SSC), 24% had a Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC), 14% were Graduates and 12% had a Post Graduate Degree. Frequency distribution and Chi-Square tests of significance were performed.
Results: 70% of the sample exhibited Internal HLoC followed by Powerful Others (20%) and External HLoC (10%). Significant relationships were observed between one's HLoC and the level of education. Results showed that with the increasing level of education, people were more inclined towards the Internal HLoC as compared to illiterates who relied on external factors such as fate and the help of Powerful Others such as medical practitioners for the well-being of their health. The males showed a higher frequency of Internal HLoC (50%) as compared to females (20%).
Conclusions: Findings of this study suggest that regardless of gender, education has a major impact on a person's HLoC. Lower internal HLoC among the illiterate population of Lahore call for professional intervention through educational programs.