Relationships between Self-Regulation Skills and Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Obese Adults: Mediation of Mood and Self-Efficacy

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Annesi

In cognitive-behavioral treatments for obesity, self-regulation is thought to be a strong predictor of behavioral change, but it is rarely directly measured in intervention research. Thus, how self-regulation interacts with other psychological variables regarding treatment effects is largely unknown. In this preliminary field study, self-regulatory skills were directly measured and were found to be significantly associated with both volume of exercise and fruit and vegetable consumption in severely obese adults ( N = 116) enrolled in a behavioral weight management program. Significant partial and complete mediation of the relationship between self-regulation for physical activity and physical activity, and self-regulation for appropriate eating and fruit and vegetable intake, respectively, were found by reported negative mood. Self-efficacy was not found to be a significant mediator of these relationships. The bivariate relationship between baseline scores of self-regulation for physical activity and self-regulation for appropriate eating was significant ( r = .46), which supported the premise that self-regulation is a traitlike personal characteristic. Volume of exercise and fruit and vegetable consumption significantly predicted weight loss over 6 months ( R2 = .35). Results were consistent with the few laboratory-based findings available and, after replication, may extend theory related to obesity treatment.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Jane Kothe ◽  
Caitlin Pinto ◽  
Emily Coen ◽  
Shaznin Sanmugam ◽  
Vani Mantha

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of self-regulation and habit on fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity, among pregnant women who intended to adhere to fruit and vegetable and/or physical activity guidelines. Design: The present study adopted a prospective study design in which data was obtained at two time points, one month apart. Methods: One hundred and seventy-nine pregnant women aged between 19 and 45 participated in this study (M = 31.09, SD = 4.05). Women completed an online questionnaire at time one which assessed demographic information, fruit and vegetable intake, engagement in physical activity, intention, self-regulation and habit. One month later they completed a time two questionnaire that reassessed intention, dietary intake, and physical activity engagement. Women who completed both time points and were classified as “intenders” for fruit and vegetable consumption (n=88) and for physical activity (n=19) were retained for analysis.Results: A series of logistic regression analyses revealed habit to be a significant predictor of profile membership for fruit and vegetable consumption but not for physical activity. Contrary to initial expectations, self-regulation was not able to significantly predict adherence to fruit and vegetable or physical activity guidelines.Conclusions: For pregnant women, habit strength is likely to be influential in determining adherence to the recommended fruit and vegetable guidelines. Therefore, implementing habit-formation and automaticity-based interventions could promote optimal health behaviours and outcomes, which benefit both the mother and child. To improve the generalizability of these findings, physical activity should be explored further to better understand the determinants that influence adherence to the recommended physical activity guidelines.


2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Aschemann-Witzel ◽  
Tino Bech-Larsen ◽  
Alice Grønhøj

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to study the extent of change in parents' fruit and vegetable consumption during a period when their children participate in a school-based healthy eating intervention. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 256 12-year-old Danish schoolchildren took part in a text-message feedback intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. One parent of each child filled out self-administered questionnaires at three points during the 40-week study period. In the questionnaire, stated consumption, perceived influence factors on their consumption and self-efficacy and self-regulation were measured. Findings – Only half of the parents stated that they met the “five a day” target. These parents reported good availability of fruit and vegetables in their household, high consumption among their friends and frequent exercise and they were characterised by high self-efficacy levels. Stated consumption increased during the period of the intervention targeted at their children. Parents that reported an increase had, at the start of the intervention, reported low levels of consumption, lack of encouragement to eat healthy at their workplace and lower autonomous self-regulation. Research limitations/implications – The consumption data is limited to self-report. Practical implications – The results indicate that parents can be influenced indirectly by school-based interventions targeted at their children. Future interventions should include the family with the intent to support positive interaction that might further promote and sustain healthy eating habits. Originality/value – The study considers the possible effects school interventions targeting children may have on the immediate family, an aspect generally overlooked in school-based health initiatives.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C Krzyzanowski ◽  
Paul N Kizakevich ◽  
Vanessa Duren-Winfield ◽  
Randall Eckhoff ◽  
Joel Hampton ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet and as the main computing system of apps, there is a growing market for mobile health apps to provide self-care advice. Their effectiveness with regard to diet and fitness tracking, for example, needs to be examined. The majority of American adults fail to meet daily recommendations for healthy behavior. Testing user engagement with an app in a controlled environment can provide insight into what is effective and not effective in an app focused on improving diet and exercise. OBJECTIVE We developed Rams Have Heart, a mobile app, to support a cardiovascular disease (CVD) intervention course. The app tracks healthy behaviors, including fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity, throughout the day. This paper aimed to present its functionality and evaluated adherence among the African American college student population. METHODS We developed the app using the Personal Health Informatics and Intervention Toolkit, a software framework. Rams Have Heart integrates self-reported health screening with health education, diary tracking, and user feedback modules to acquire data and assess progress. The parent study, conducted at a historically black college and university-designated institution in southeastern United States, consisted of a semester-long intervention administered as an academic course in the fall, for 3 consecutive years. Changes were made after the cohort 1 pilot study, so results only include cohorts 2 and 3, comprising a total of 115 students (n=55 intervention participants and n=54 control participants) aged from 17 to 24 years. Data collected over the study period were transferred using the secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocol and stored in a secure Structured Query Language server database accessible only to authorized persons. SAS software was used to analyze the overall app usage and the specific results collected. RESULTS Of the 55 students in the intervention group, 27 (49%) students in cohort 2 and 25 (45%) in cohort 3 used the Rams Have Heart app at least once. Over the course of the fall semester, app participation dropped off gradually until exam week when most students no longer participated. The average fruit and vegetable intake increased slightly, and activity levels decreased over the study period. CONCLUSIONS Rams Have Heart was developed to allow daily tracking of fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity to support a CVD risk intervention for a student demographic susceptible to obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. We conducted an analysis of app usage, function, and user results. Although a mobile app provides privacy and flexibility for user participation in a research study, Rams Have Heart did not improve compliance or user outcomes. Health-oriented research studies relying on apps in support of user goals need further evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel L Fuligni ◽  
Christopher J Gonzalez ◽  
Roger Figueroa

Abstract Background Energy-balance behaviors are precursors to obesity shaped by the practices or strategies that many parents implement. Although key stakeholders to their families, adolescents are rarely considered to report on these obesity-related parenting practices. The aim of this study is to assess the factorial and predictive validity of adolescents’ proxy-report of parents’ obesity-related parenting across four behavioral domains. Methods This study used data from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) study. This study tests whether adolescents’ proxy reports about their parents’ obesity-related parenting are significantly associated with parents’ responses on their own obesity-related parenting, as well as whether these reports are significantly associated to parent-adolescent energy-balance behaviors. Factorial validity was assessed using linear regression and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), whereas predictive validity was assessed using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM). Results Regression results indicated that adolescents’ proxy report is significantly associated with parents’ report of their own parenting in all four domains (β = .59 − .71; p < 0.05). CFA results indicated a final factor structure that loaded significantly onto hypothesized obesity-related parenting domains (β > .30) in both adolescents and parents. APIM results indicated that both parent- (β = .32; p < 0.05) and adolescent-(β = .21; p < 0.05) reported obesity parenting for fruit and vegetable consumption were associated with their own fruit and vegetable intake. In addition, adolescent-reported physical activity parenting was significantly associated with adolescent physical activity (β = 0.23; p < 0.05). Regarding partner effects, only parent-reported parenting for fruit and vegetable consumption were significantly associated with adolescent intake of fruit and vegetables (β = 0.15, p < 0.05) and adolescent-reported physical activity parenting was significantly associated with parental physical activity (β = 0.16, p < 0.05). Neither adolescent nor parent reported parenting were significantly associated with screen time or junk food intake outcomes. Each final obesity-related parenting scale had good internal consistency (a = .74-.85). Conclusions We found that adolescent- and parent-reported obesity-related parenting were significantly associated, while adolescent-reported parenting were more influential of fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity than parent-reported parenting. These findings suggest that adolescent proxy reports may be a valid source of information on obesity-related parenting.


2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 864-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Doku ◽  
Leena Koivusilta ◽  
Susanna Raisamo ◽  
Arja Rimpelä

AbstractObjectiveFew studies have investigated the association between adolescents’ socio-economic status (SES) and health behaviours in developing countries. Socio-economic differences in breakfast eating, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity were investigated among Ghanaian adolescents.DesignA school-based survey of 12–18-year-olds (n 1195, response rate 89·7 %) was conducted in 2008. Logistic regression analyses were applied to study the associations between breakfast eating, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity, and SES.SettingSouthern Ghana, West Africa.SubjectsSchool pupils aged 12–18 years.ResultsOf all adolescents, 31 % took breakfast less than 4 d/week, over half (56 %) and 48 %, respectively, rarely ate fruits and vegetables. Younger adolescents (12–15-year-olds) consumed fruits and vegetables frequently compared with older ones (16–18-year-olds). Boys were more likely to participate in physical activity than girls. The probability of frequent breakfast eating was higher in adolescents from more affluent backgrounds than in those from less affluent ones. Compared with those whose mothers were illiterate, both tertiary and primary maternal educational attainment increased the probability of frequent fruit intake. Similarly, tertiary educational attainment increased the likelihood of frequent vegetable intake. Compared with those with unemployed mothers, mothers’ low employment grade was related to higher probability of frequent fruit intake. High school performance was associated with frequent fruit intake, whereas high or medium school performance increased the likelihood of vegetable intake compared with low school performance.ConclusionsInterventions are needed to improve breakfast intake, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity in order to prevent degenerative diseases among Ghanaian adolescents.


10.2196/15156 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e15156
Author(s):  
Michelle C Krzyzanowski ◽  
Paul N Kizakevich ◽  
Vanessa Duren-Winfield ◽  
Randall Eckhoff ◽  
Joel Hampton ◽  
...  

Background With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet and as the main computing system of apps, there is a growing market for mobile health apps to provide self-care advice. Their effectiveness with regard to diet and fitness tracking, for example, needs to be examined. The majority of American adults fail to meet daily recommendations for healthy behavior. Testing user engagement with an app in a controlled environment can provide insight into what is effective and not effective in an app focused on improving diet and exercise. Objective We developed Rams Have Heart, a mobile app, to support a cardiovascular disease (CVD) intervention course. The app tracks healthy behaviors, including fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity, throughout the day. This paper aimed to present its functionality and evaluated adherence among the African American college student population. Methods We developed the app using the Personal Health Informatics and Intervention Toolkit, a software framework. Rams Have Heart integrates self-reported health screening with health education, diary tracking, and user feedback modules to acquire data and assess progress. The parent study, conducted at a historically black college and university-designated institution in southeastern United States, consisted of a semester-long intervention administered as an academic course in the fall, for 3 consecutive years. Changes were made after the cohort 1 pilot study, so results only include cohorts 2 and 3, comprising a total of 115 students (n=55 intervention participants and n=54 control participants) aged from 17 to 24 years. Data collected over the study period were transferred using the secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocol and stored in a secure Structured Query Language server database accessible only to authorized persons. SAS software was used to analyze the overall app usage and the specific results collected. Results Of the 55 students in the intervention group, 27 (49%) students in cohort 2 and 25 (45%) in cohort 3 used the Rams Have Heart app at least once. Over the course of the fall semester, app participation dropped off gradually until exam week when most students no longer participated. The average fruit and vegetable intake increased slightly, and activity levels decreased over the study period. Conclusions Rams Have Heart was developed to allow daily tracking of fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity to support a CVD risk intervention for a student demographic susceptible to obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. We conducted an analysis of app usage, function, and user results. Although a mobile app provides privacy and flexibility for user participation in a research study, Rams Have Heart did not improve compliance or user outcomes. Health-oriented research studies relying on apps in support of user goals need further evaluation.


Appetite ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Richert ◽  
Tabea Reuter ◽  
Amelie U. Wiedemann ◽  
Sonia Lippke ◽  
Jochen Ziegelmann ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rosenkranz ◽  
Karly S. Geller ◽  
David. A. Dzewaltowski

Many children do not meet current guidelines for physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption, two areas of health-related behavior with links to obesity. Objective: To examine child and parent perceptions of child proxy agency, home physical activity opportunity, and home accessibility of fruits and vegetables. Methods: Dyads (N = 117) of parents and children completed questionnaires for this cross-sectional study. Results: For child proxy agency, fruits and vegetables accessibility, and physical activity opportunity, the parent and child perceptions were significantly related. Parent ratings of physical activity opportunity and child proxy agency were significantly greater than child ratings. Perceptions of both parents and children for proxy agency were associated with fruits and vegetables accessibility and physical activity opportunity. Conclusions: Parents and children hold similar, yet distinct perceptions of physical activity opportunity and child proxy agency. Perceptions of child proxy agency are associated with obesity-related home environmental characteristics.


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