Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the weight efficacy lifestyle questionnaire short-form for adolescents

The prevalence of obesity in children has greatly increased, and many reasons account for the increase. Self-efficacy in controlling eating behaviour is known to be inversely related to obesity prevalence. Moreover, the level of self-efficacy can be increased. However, there is no scale adapted to the Turkish setting that can evaluate self-efficacy in controlling eating behaviour. This study aimed to adapt the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short-Form to the Turkish language. The study sample included 392 adolescents aged 14-18. Data were collected through a socio-demographic data collection form and the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short-Form. The mean and percentage calculations were used in the analysis of the socio-demographic data. The principal components analysis determined that the scale consisted of one dimension. The explained variance was determined as 49.1%, and the factor loadings were .57-.78. The confirmatory factor analysis yielded a root mean square error of approximation of .06 and fit indices greater than .96. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for overall scale was .84. The Cronbach's alpha values of both halves of the split-half method and the Spearman-Brown and Guttman's split-half coefficients were found to be greater than .70. The correlation of the items with the total score was positive and greater than .20. Thus, the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short-Form had a high level of validity and reliability for the Turkish adolescent sample. This scale can be used to determine self-efficacy in controlling eating behaviour change according to the current status of adolescents

The effects of parental feeding styles, children’s self-efficacy and social anxiety on adolescent obesity

<div><p>ABSTRACT Objective To examine the effect of parental feeding styles and children’s self-efficacy and social anxiety on adolescent obesity. Methods The samples of this descriptive and cross-sectional study were collected by using a simple sampling method. The study group was composed of 649 Turkish secondary schools students and their parents. Three secondary schools were selected from both rural and urban areas of the province. Data of the study were collected with the child-parent socio-demographic data collection form, the parenting feeding style questionnaire, the middle school self-efficacy scale and the social anxiety scale for the adolescent. To analyze the data of the study, we used percentages, mean, correlation, and regression analysis. Results The average age of the students was 11.58+1.21 years and percentages of female students 55.0%. The factors that significantly affect male adolescent obesity were fear of social situations in general, interpersonal relations, preventive healthcare self-efficacy, and strict dietary control, respectively. The factors affect male adolescent obesity at the rate of 35.0%. The factors that significantly affect female adolescent obesity were fear of social situations in general, preventive healthcare self-efficacy, emotional feeding, social evasion and distress in new situations, and tolerant dietary control, respectively. These factors affect female adolescent obesity at the rate of 32.8%. Conclusion It is indicated that the obesity of children is affected by self-efficacy levels, social anxiety, and the parental feeding style.</p></div

Effects of adolescents' self-efficacy and social anxiety on attitudes toward pros and cons of smoking

This cross-sectional, descriptive research study was conducted in order to examine the impacts of adolescents' levels of social anxiety and self-efficacy on their perceptions of the pros and cons of smoking. Students (n = 219) in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades provided demographic details and completed the Middle School Self-Efficacy Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, and the Decisional Balance Scale. We analyzed the data using Pearson's correlations, multiple regression, and logistic regression. Of the adolescents, 52.8% with a positive perception of smoking were current smokers and 2.2% with a negative perception of smoking were current smokers. Further, 38.9% of females and 61.1% of males perceived that smoking is beneficial to them, whereas 47% of females and 53% of males perceived that smoking cigarette is harmful to them. Adolescents' high self-efficacy, low social anxiety, and mothers' high level of education were associated with perceiving the cons of smoking. Additional experimental studies are needed to increase adolescents' self-efficacy levels, decrease their social anxiety, and teach them life skills. Furthermore, the effects of these precautions on the smoking-related perceptions of adolescents should be examined via experimental studies