Sex and age interactions with the structured interview global Type A behavior pattern and hostility in the prediction of health behaviors

Abstract

A health-behavior survey and the Type A structured Interview (SI) were administered to a general-population sample of 903 adults. Self-reports of nine health behaviors were used as dependent variables. Multivariate analyses of variance followed by two series of three-way analyses of variance were conducted by age, sex, and SI-assessed global Type A (or hostility). There were main effects and/or two-way interactions for all of the dependent variables. Global Type A behavior and hostility were positively related to higher frequency-quantity of alcohol use, more frequently exceeding the speed limit, fewer hours of sleep, and less-frequent breakfast. Three-way interactions indicated that men under the age of 60 who were classified as Type Al reported a higher frequency-quantity of alcohol use than any other subgroup. The highest percentage of current cigarette smokers was among the high-hostility young men. Implications for behavior-change programs and research are discussed.