Consideration of future consequences and predictability: Examining six health behaviors with different levels of perceived severity

Research has shown that consideration of future consequences can successfully predict different health behaviors. Prior studies, however, have yielded inconsistent findings. This study aimed to address these inconsistencies by examining the associations between consideration of future consequences and different health behaviors involving different levels of severity. The main study sample consisted of 385 college students. Using a paper-and-pencil survey, a cross-sectional study was conducted. The survey addressed six behaviors under three health topics including vaccination (flu vaccination, HPV vaccination), smoking (smoking, signing for a smoke-free campus policy), and energy drink consumption (energy drink consumption, energy drink consumption mixed with alcohol). Behavioral status and consideration of future consequences were measured. Consideration of future consequences predicted health behaviors involving greater severity whereas it failed to predict health behaviors involving relatively less severity. This study found that the ability of consideration of future consequences to predict different health behaviors depends on the perceived severity associated with the behaviors.