Unhealthy eating behaviors and low levels of physical activity are major problems in adolescents and young adults in vocational education. To develop effective intervention programs, more research is needed to understand how different types of motivation contribute to health behaviors. In the present study, Self-Determination Theory is used to examine how motivation contributes to dietary and physical activity behaviors in vocational students. This cross-sectional study included 809 students (mean age 17.8 ± 1.9 years) attending vocational education in the Netherlands. Linear multilevel regression analyses were used to investigate the association between types of motivation and dietary and physical activity behaviors. Amotivation was negatively associated with breakfast frequency and positively associated with diet soda consumption and high-calorie between-meal snacks. A positive association was found between autonomous motivation and water intake, breakfast frequency, fruit intake, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Autonomous motivation was negatively associated with the consumption of unhealthy products. Controlled motivation was not associated with physical activity or dietary behaviors. Different types of motivation seem to explain either healthy or unhealthy dietary behaviors in vocational students. Autonomous motivation, in particular, was shown to be associated with healthy behaviors and could therefore be a valuable intervention target.

Background: Unhealthy eating behaviours and low levels of physical activity are a major problem in adolescents and young adults in vocational education. In order to develop effective intervention programmes, more research is needed to understand how different types of motivation contribute to health behaviours. In the present study the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is used as a framework to examine how motivation contributes to dietary and physical activity behaviours in Vocational Education & Training (VET) students.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 809 students (mean age 17.8 ± 1.9 years) attending VET in the Netherlands. The Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ) for diet and physical activity, the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health- enhancing physical activity (SQUASH) and the Dutch Public Health Monitor questionnaire were used to asses type of motivation, physical activity and dietary behaviour. Linear multilevel regression analyses were used to investigate the association between type of motivation and dietary and physical activity behaviours. Results: Amotivation was negatively associated with breakfast frequency and was positively associated with diet soda consumption and the number of unhealthy products consumed per week. A positive association was found between autonomous motivation and water intake, breakfast frequency, fruit intake and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Autonomous motivation was negatively associated with the consumption of unhealthy products. Controlled motivation was not associated with physical activity or dietary behaviours.Conclusion: Type of motivation according to SDT seems to partly explain dietary and physical activity behaviours in VET students. Autonomous motivation in particular was shown to be associated with healthy behaviours and could therefore be a valuable intervention target.

This study examines the effectiveness of the peer-delivered, school-based intervention Healthy by Design (HbD). Data were collected in two cross-sectional surveys before and after invention implementation. In total 1,177 vocational students (before: 557, after: 620) participated in an online health behaviour survey. Multilevel logistic and multilevel linear models explored the effect of the intervention over time and the effect of the intervention dose received on (determinants of) dietary of physical activity behaviours. A significant positive effect over time was found for moderate intensity physical activity. A high intervention dose was positively associated with increased water, breakfast and fruit consumption and higher levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity compared to no intervention dose received. A moderate and high intervention dose was negatively associated with high calorie snacks consumption compared to no intervention dose received. Effects of HbD on the investigated dietary and physical activity behaviours over time are limited, but these effects may be hard to demonstrate and link to the intervention due to the nature of the intervention design and the natural school-setting of this quasi-experimental study. However, a higher intervention dose showed a strong relation with healthier dietary and physical activity behaviours.

Unhealthy eating behaviors and low levels of physical activity are a major problem in adolescents and young adults in vocational education. To develop effective intervention programs, more research is needed to understand how different types of motivation contribute to health behaviors. In the present study the Self-Determination Theory is used to examine how motivation contributes to dietary and physical activity behaviors in vocational students. This cross-sectional study included 809 students (mean age 17.8 ± 1.9 years) attending vocational education in the Netherlands. Linear multilevel regression analyses were used to investigate the association between type of motivation and dietary and physical activity behaviors. Amotivation was negatively associated with breakfast frequency and was positively associated with diet soda consumption and high calorie between-meal snacks. A positive association was found between autonomous motivation and water intake, breakfast frequency, fruit intake and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Autonomous motivation was negatively associated with the consumption of unhealthy products. Controlled motivation was not associated with physical activity or dietary behaviors. Type of motivation seems to partly explain dietary and physical activity behaviors in vocational students. Autonomous motivation in particular was shown to be associated with healthy behaviors and could therefore be a valuable intervention target.