Adolescents Demonstrate Improvement in Obesity Risk Behaviors after Completion of Choice, Control & Change, a Curriculum Addressing Personal Agency and Autonomous Motivation

Abstract

Background The rapid increase of obesity and diabetes risk beginning in youth, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, calls for prevention efforts. Objective To examine the impact of a curriculum intervention, Choice, Control, and Change (C3), on the adoption of the energy balance related behaviors of decreasing sweetened drinks, packaged snacks, fast food, and leisure screen time, and increasing water, fruits and vegetables, and physical activity, and on potential psychosocial mediators of the behaviors. Design Ten middle schools in low-income New York City neighborhoods were randomly assigned within matched pairs to either intervention or comparison/ delayed control conditions during the 2007–2008 school year. Participants 562 inner city seventh grade students in the intervention condition, and 574 in the comparison condition. Intervention Students received the 24 C3 lessons that used science inquiry-based investigations to enhance motivation for action, and social cognitive and self-determination theories to increase personal agency and autonomous motivation to take action. Main outcome measures Self-report instruments to measure energy balance related behaviors targeted by the curriculum, and potential psychosocial mediators of the behaviors. Analyses ANCOVA with group (intervention/control) as a fixed factor and pre-test as covariate. Results Students in intervention schools compared to the delayed intervention controls reported consumption of significantly fewer sweetened drinks and packaged snacks, smaller sizes of fast food, increased intentional walking for exercise, and decreased leisure screen-time, but showed no increases in their intakes of water, fruits, and vegetables. They showed significant increases in positive outcome expectations about the behaviors, self-efficacy, goal intentions, competence, and autonomy. Conclusions The C3 curriculum was effective in improving many of the specifically targeted behaviors related to reducing obesity risk, indicating that combining inquiry-based science education and behavioral theory is a promising approach.

Can the Weight Reduction Program Improve Obese Thai Adolescents’ Body Mass Index and Autonomous Motivation?

“…Motivation is a strong predictor of weight reduction in children and adolescents in WRPs 13 . Previous school-based interventions demonstrated that youth who participate in enjoyable and engaging activities to enhance autonomous motivation experience more positive results in body mass index (BMI), healthy diet, and physical activity 10,14,15 . Few studies have evaluated autonomous motivation for physical activity and dietary intakes in school-age (particularly secondary school) students, but their fi ndings are appropriate for Western contexts 14,15,16,17 .…”

A Goal Setting Intervention Positively Impacts Adolescents’ Dietary Behaviors and Physical Activity Self-Efficacy

“…These results compare favorably to studies of adolescent obesity prevention interventions of longer duration using computer tailoring and goal setting (Contento, et al, 2010;Singh, Chin A Paw, Brug, & van Mechelen, 2007;Singh, et al, 2009;Singh, et al, 2006) as behavioral strategies. A recent meta-analysis found that goal setting was one of two promising intervention components to modify dietary fat, fruit and vegetable intake (Ammerman, Lindquist, Lohr, & Hersey, 2002).…”

“…For youth, a literature review found only one study investigating the effectiveness of a goal-setting characteristic (Shilts, et al, 2004a;White, & Skinner, 1988). More recently, three goal setting intervention effectiveness studies (Contento, Koch, Lee, & Calabrese-Barton, 2010;Patrick, et al, 2006;Singh, Chin A Paw, Brug, & van Mechelen, 2009) and a goal-setting effectiveness study were reported in the literature with each showing positive results (Shilts, Townsend, & Dishman, In Press).…”

Are personal characteristics of massage therapists associated with their clinical, educational, and interpersonal behaviors?

“…(15) Applications include designing interventions to increase outcome expectations related to physical activity (16)(17) and home exercise adherence. (18) Other studies have applied outcome expectation and expectancy constructs to improve participation in longitudinal studies (19) and exercise adoption among an at-risk population.…”

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Nearly half of the massage therapists practiced alone (45.7%), while 15.9% practiced with a chiropractor, 14.6% practiced in a salon or spa, 12.6% practiced with other massage therapists, and 12% worked in other practice settings.…”