A perspective on the Motivation to Comply social norms construct

This social norms construct, motivation to comply (MTC), has been labeled problematic. To understand how MTC has been operationalized and measured, a scoping review was conducted. To retrieve articles, the key words ‘Motivation to Comply’ were used in multiple databases (e.g., MEDLINE), from 2009-2021. Twenty-seven manuscripts were identified, and yet according to the author of this study, only 52% measured MTC correctly. Other studies measured MTC as some other psychosocial construct such as attitudes. This article points to the need for standardization in the definition and measurement of the MTC construct

evaluation of a theory based childhood overweight prevention curriculum

Food Fit, a social cognitive theory based (SCT) nutrition intervention, was implemented to 3rd-5th grade student’s at 5 YMCA after-school programs to impact specific dietary behaviors associated with the prevention of childhood overweight (n = 58). Pre and post tests were administered for each lesson to evaluate changes in behavioral capabilities (BC), self efficacy (SE), and outcome expectancies (OE) for each lesson's key objectives. A child-modified Food Behavior Checklist was administered before and after the program to evaluate dietary behaviors. Results showed significant improvements for SCT psychosocial variables (i.e. outcome expectancies for eating raw vegetables (p<0.01), self efficacy for eating fruit (p<.05)) Significant dietary changes included an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables as snacks (p<.001), citrus fruits and juice (p<0.02), raw vegetables (p<.001), and increased use of the food label to determine food selection (p<0.001). The FF program appears to be successful at favorably impacting children's BC, SE and OE for food selection behaviors thought to contribute to the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity. FF may be a viable nutrition program for use in multi-component interventions, aimed at impacting behaviors associated with the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity

Predictors of Snack Food Consumption Among Upper Elementary Children Using Social Cognitive Theory

This study examined the extent to which the constructs of social cognitive theory (SCT) can predict snack food consumption among elementary school-age children. A valid and reliable 22-item instrument was administered to 212 children. Snack food consumption was evaluated by asking children to recall and report all foods consumed outside of meals in the previous 24 hours. On average, the children consumed 513 calories from snack foods per day. Most came from sugar-sweetened beverages and calorically dense snacks. Fruit and vegetable snacks were positively predicted by self-control ( R2 = 0.017), and sugar-sweetened beverage snacks were negatively predicted by self-control (R2 = 0.022). SCT is a prominent theory in health education and promotion. The findings suggest that self-control may be an important construct to snack food intake

Process Evaluations for a Multisite Nutrition Education Program

Process evaluations are an often-overlooked component of evaluating health promotion interventions, but can be essential for interpreting program outcomes. The purpose of this study was to report the results of two types of process evaluations conducted for Food Fit, a nutrition education program implemented to 58 3rd through 5th grade children (67% Caucasian) in 5 YMCA after school programs. To evaluate program fidelity, a trained observer watched each lesson and recorded program adherence using a standardized checklist, outlining essential components of the intervention. Attendance was recorded by asking each child to complete a small task before and after each lesson. Results showed that program adherence was perfect in most cases and attendance rates varied, but were generally high. Attendance rates were not associated with improvement in nutrition behaviors. Implications and recommendations for future use of process evaluations are discussed

The Utilization of Process Evaluations in Childhood Obesity Intervention Research: A Review of Reviews

Process evaluations are an essential component to evaluating health promotion programs, however they are consistently under-utilized and oftentimes not reported upon in the literature. This study reports the use of process evaluations in childhood obesity prevention interventions implemented over the past three decades. Seven meta-analyses and systematic reviews were located for this review or reviews, and from these, 119 unique references were identified. Each article was retrieved and read for appropriateness, and 20 were excluded for a variety of reasons (ex. not published in English language), resulting in 99 articles included for this study. Overall, process evaluations were not well reported upon. Only 38 studies reported the fidelity of program implementation, 25 studies tracked participant attendance, 29 studied evaluated participant satisfaction, and 49 studies reported how staff members were trained. Additionally, one-third of the studies did not report using a single type of process evaluation, and only 5 studies reported using all four types. Results from this study suggest that the use of process evaluations has been low in this area of research, which may explain why many obesity prevention studies have reported mixed or modest results. Suggestions for implementing simple, yet effective process evaluations in future studies will be presented

Comparing the Utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior Between Boys and Girls for Predicting Snack Food Consumption: Implications for Practice

The purpose of this study was to use the theory of planned behavior to explain two types of snack food consumption among boys and girls (girls n = 98; boys n = 69), which may have implications for future theory-based health promotion interventions. Between genders, there was a significant difference for calorie-dense/nutrient-poor snacks (p = .002), but no difference for fruit and vegetable snacks. Using stepwise multiple regression, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms accounted for a large amount of the variance of intentions (girls = 43.3%; boys = 55.9%); however, for girls, subjective norms accounted for the most variance, whereas for boys, attitudes accounted for the most variance. Calories from calorie-dense/nutrient-poor snacks and fruit and vegetable snacks were also predicted by intentions. For boys, intentions predicted 6.4% of the variance for fruit and vegetable snacks (p = .03) but was not significant for calorie-dense/nutrient-poor snacks, whereas for girls, intentions predicted 6.0% of the variance for fruit and vegetable snacks (p = .007), and 7.2% of the variance for calorie-dense/nutrient-poor snacks (p = .004). Results suggest that the theory of planned behavior is a useful framework for predicting snack foods among children; however, there are important differences between genders that should be considered in future health promotion interventions.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Developing an Instrument to Evaluate Psychosocial and Environmental Determinants of Parental Monitoring of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among children and adolescents is a public health concern, as up to 88% consume them on a daily basis. While much research has been done regarding what types of foods parents feed their children and how that is linked to various health outcomes, research determining how parents monitor there children’s SSB consumption has not been well studied. Identifying important environmental and psychosocial determinants of parental-monitoring behaviors is a greatly needed area for investigation. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a theory-based instrument related to this parenting practice. Initially, a 41-item instrument was developed and face and content validity were established using a panel of 6 experts. Next, the survey was administered to 270 parents (29 parents completed the survey twice). Psychometric properties tested of the instrument included construct validity, using the maximum likelihood extraction method of factor analysis, internal consistency reliability, using Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability using Pearson-product moment correlations between instrument results taken at two separate occasions. Initial results suggested some scales required re-specification, which included removing weak and/or non-related items. Results from this study can be used to assist future health professionals and researchers for measuring theory-based determinants of parental practices related to monitoring SSB consumption. This process can also be replicated to construct instruments measuring other critical obesogenic behaviors, such as monitoring fruit and vegetable consumption, or physical activity

What determines young adults’ attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control towards healthy sleep behaviors? A reasoned action approach

A common limitation to the design of public health sleep interventions is the overall lack of using theory. Previous researchers have utilized the theory of planned behavior and the reasoned action approach (RAA) to predict healthy sleep behaviors, however much of this research was done using reflective (or generalized) measures, which alone is likely inadequate to equip health practitioners with tangible information they can use to translate theory into practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to use formative (or belief-based) measures of the RAA to evaluate the determinants of attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of healthy sleep behaviors among young adults. A survey was distributed via email using a university-wide listserv at a large southwestern university. Participants (n = 310) were on average 19.9 years old (+/-1.6), and reported sleeping five and a half hours (+/-0.7) per night. Associations between formative and reflective RAA measures were overall moderate to strong. Thinking clearly (r = 0.55; p \u3c 0.001) was the strongest determinant of attitudes; friends (r = 0.27; p \u3c 0.001) was the strongest referent of injunctive norms; children (r = 0.14; p \u3c 0.05) was the strongest referent of descriptive norms; and having a lot of homework/studying (r = -0.25; p \u3c 0.001) was the strongest determinant of PBC. Understanding the determinants of attitudes, perceived norms, and PBC will help health practitioners bridge the gap between theory and practice, and provide relevant information to aid in the development of effective public health sleep interventions

Native American Diabetes Prevention Intervention Programs: A Systematic Review

Background and Purpose: Diabetes is one of the biggest health problems for the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The purpose of this study was to review lifestyle based diabetes interventions from January 1995 to January 2015. Methods: The target population within this systematic review was adult American Indians and Alaska Natives. Four databases (Medline, Google Scholar, PsychINFO, and JSTOR) were used to find articles, of which nine articles met the inclusion criteria of being either an intervention or prevention program that reported at least one physiological or biological indicator of diabetes. Results: Among the nine articles reviewed, six articles showed significant changes of physiological indicators. Three of the studies only targeted the female population. Most of the programs lasted between 6 to 12 months. A major limitation among intervention or prevention programs was an inadequate use of a theoretical behavior change model. Conclusion: Overall, it was found that physical activities and diet -based methods have the potential for diabetes prevention and intervention programs among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Recommendations for future research include using randomized controlled trial research design, and using theory to guide program development

Impacting Dietary Behaviors of Children from Low Income Communities: An Evaluation of a Theory-Based Nutrition Education Program

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an expanded version of the Food Fit program, a Social Cognitive Theory based (SCT) nutrition intervention, among children in a low-income community. Eighty-five children ages 8 to 13 (mean=9.15 years; SD=1.05) were enrolled in this study. Impact and outcome measures included BMI percentile and dietary behaviors, which were evaluated before and after the program, and after a three-month follow up period. In addition, constructs of social cognitive theory, including behavioral capabilities (BC), self efficacy (SE), and outcome expectancies (OE), were evaluated before and after each lesson. Results indicated statistically significant improvements for BC’s in 11 of the 14 lessons (p=0.001), but changes in SE’s and OE’s did not reach levels of significance. There was also a significant improvement in overall dietary behaviors (p=0.036), and an increase in BMI percentile for normal weight children only (p=0.001). Compared with the previous implementation of Food Fit with children from middle-income families, this group had a similar level of changes for knowledge and skills, but fewer self-reported changes in confidence and desire to use the knowledge and skills discussed during the program. Reasons for these differences necessitate further investigation