Influence of health locus of control and parental health perceptions on follow-through with school nurse referral.
The health perceptions and health locus of control of 50 parents of students in a school district in New Jersey were investigated in this comparative descriptive study. The study was based on the Health Belief Model and Roger's Science of Unitary Human Beings. Subjects were categorized into two groups, depending on whether or not they followed through with school nurse referrals for their children. Data were collected from each subject to measure levels of health locus of control and health perceptions. The hypothesis stated that parents who do not follow up on health referrals for their children will score lower on health perceptions and health locus of control than parents who schedule referrals for their children. Results revealed no significant differences between compliant and noncompliant parents in health perceptions and health locus of control. Chi-square analyses were used to determine the relationships between sample characteristics and participants' responses to the Health Locus of Control scale and the Health Perceptions Questionnaire.