Perceived Self-Efficacy and Financial Incentives: Factors Affecting Health Behavior and Body Weight in Individuals with Overweight and Obesity
Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Statement of the problem: Overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) is a major public health concern and contributes to escalating health care costs.Self-efficacy plays a significant role in health behavior (both exercise and diet) and lack of could contribute to OW and OB.Design: Exploratory and correlational.Sample size and composition: Ninety-nine middle aged OW and OB female nursing home employees of black and white ethnicities, with at least a high school diploma.Measures: Eating and exercise self-efficacy (Eat-SE, Ex-SE) were assessed using confidencebased questions and then transformed into qualitative scores for each efficacy scale.Healthy eating scores (HES) and exercise behavior were assessed using frequency-based questions.Analysis: Correlation, causal mediation, and regression analysis examined the influence of Eat-SE and Ex-SE on physical activity (PA), eating behavior, and BMI.Results: Higher HES predicted higher Eat-SE (p= 0.02) and in turn, a lower BMI (p= 0.02).Increased frequencies of moderate and vigorous PA predicted higher Ex-Se (p= 0.01, p= 0.00).Moderate PA further predicted a lower BMI (p= 0.05).Conclusion: Our models combining social cognitive variables (self-efficacy beliefs) and behavioral variables captured variations in BMI.Future obesity intervention may incorporate self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to weight management.
Author: Julia Simon
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2525003636