TABLE 2.
Items With Item-Total Correlations
| Item-Total Correlation | |
|---|---|
| Perceived religious influence on health behavior | |
| I tend to avoid things harmful to my body because of my religious/spiritual beliefs. | .62 |
| Religious/spiritual beliefs have great influence on my health. | .45 |
| God helps me to maintain a healthy lifestyle. | .41 |
| God helps me to avoid bad health habits. | .61 |
| Because of my religious/spiritual beliefs, I do not put harmful substances into my body. | .66 |
| I try to engage in health practices that are consistent with my religious/spiritual guidelinesa | .43 |
| My body is a temple of the Spirit, so I have a responsibility to take good care of it.a | .53 |
| I try to engage in “clean living” because this is what my religion/spirituality teaches. | .43 |
| Following religious/spiritual beliefs makes it easier to avoid unhealthy behaviors.a | .69 |
| Because of my religious/spiritual beliefs, I abstain from tobacco/smoking. | .42 |
| Illness as punishment for sin | |
| Illness is the result of one’s negative thoughts. | .36 |
| God uses sickness to send a message to people. | .71 |
| Illness comes because of something bad a person as done in their life. | .63 |
| God sometimes uses physical illnesses to punish people. | .87 |
| God uses sickness as punishment for the things people have done wrong in their lives. | .83 |
| Illness is a punishment/result from God for sinful behaviors or lifestyle. | .82 |
| Illness is caused by a sinful lifestyle. | .50 |
| God uses sickness as a way to punish people for their sins. | .89 |
a
Items eliminated from final version during psychometric testing.