Modern health worries are not associated with health protective behaviours

Abstract

Background: Worries about modern technologies and harmful effects of modern life (MHWs) have increased over the past decades. Based on empirical results, MHWS are often unsubstantiated and negligible compared to the threats posed by other risk factors (e.g. tobacco use, physical inactivity, obesity, etc.). The aim of our study was to explore associations between modern health worries (MHWs) and some ‘non-modern’ risk factors. According to our hypothesis, MHWs and traditional risk factors are differently represented in people's mind; therefore individuals with more MHWs don't show higher levels of health protective behaviour. Methods: 325 participants (mean age=31.16, SD=12.63; female 68.6%) completed the Modern Health Worries Scale. Objective risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep quality, perceived stress, exercise frequency, body mass index) were also assessed. Findings: No association between MHWs and any of the indicators of health protective/risk behaviour was found. Self-rated health was connected to the objective risk factors (smoking (Spearman’s rho = -0.14, p=0.013), BMI (rho = -0.16, p<0.005), perceived stress (rho = -0.28, p<0.001), physical activity (rho = 0.37, p<0.001) and sleep quality (rho = 0.293, p<0.001)). Discussion: Higher levels of MHWs are not associated with health protective behaviours, so concerns about modern life seem to be independent from well-known risk factors.