Positive expectations and health behaviors among the adult population: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Fabio Alexis Rincón Uribe, Cristian Ariel Neira Espejo, Janari da Silva Pedroso
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined associations between hope and optimism and health behaviors in adults. Searches identified 22 studies for inclusion. Pooled correlations showed positive associations for both optimism (r = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.22-0.40) and hope (r = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.17-0.33) with health behaviors. Subgroup analyses indicated variation by age and cultural group, while meta-regression found that the type of healthy behavior moderated the associations. Average age had a small, statistically insignificant effect, particularly for optimism.
Key findings
- Optimism was positively associated with health behaviors (r = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.22-0.40).
- Hope was positively associated with health behaviors (r = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.17-0.33).
- Associations varied by age group and cultural group; healthy behavior type significantly moderated them.
- Average age had a small, insignificant effect, especially for the association involving optimism.
Why it matters
The pooled findings suggest that positive expectations are relevant correlates of health-related behavior across the included studies. The variation by behavior type and cultural group cautions against assuming a uniform association. These results may inform research into psychological factors linked with health behaviors, while the meta-analysis does not establish that hope or optimism causes behavior change.
What to keep in mind
The findings synthesize associations across studies and therefore do not establish causality. The abstract does not report further study-level limitations.