Personal Lifestyle Questionnaire – PLQ
Measures positive health practices and lifestyle habits across multiple dimensions including nutrition, physical activity, safety, coping, substance use, and preventive health care.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Personal Lifestyle Questionnaire – PLQ was developed by Brown, N., Muhlenkamp, A., Fox, L., & Osborn, M. (1983). It is designed to measure Health-promoting lifestyle and behaviors. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 24 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Safety, Coping, Substance Use, Preventive Health Care.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition | 3,5,14,19,23 | 5 |
| Physical Activity | 10,11,17 | 3 |
| Safety | 4,8,12,20 | 4 |
| Coping | 2,6,9,15,18 | 5 |
| Substance Use | 7,13,16,24 | 4 |
| Preventive Health Care | 1,21,22 | 3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Occasionally, 3 = Frequently, 4 = Almost Always.
The scale includes 5 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 24 to 96. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Health Practices: 24 – 48
- Moderate Health Practices: 49 – 72
- High Health Practices: 73 – 96
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from 0.74 to 0.88.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.