Understanding How Overweight and Obese Emerging Adults Make Lifestyle Choices

Abstract

Purpose To better understand health-related decision making among overweight and obese emerging adults. Design and Methods A cross-sectional design was used in the parent study involving overweight and obese emerging adults, ages 18–29 years. The goal of the parent study was to screen participants’ diabetes risk and identify characteristics of emerging adults with prediabetes (N = 107). A sub-sample of respondents (n = 34) from the parent study were invited to participate in focus group interviews depending on whether they had prediabetes (three groups) or they did not have prediabetes (four groups). Each focus group interview lasted 90–120 minutes following a semi-structured interview guide. Conventional content analysis was used in the data analysis. Because of the similarities between participants with and without prediabetes, the findings were synthesized and reported in the aggregate. Moreover, during the analysis, the authors decided that Rational Choice Theory provided a useful organizing structure for presenting the data. Results Emerging adults’ behavioral decisions were rational reactions to their personal competence, perception of health, environment, and availability of resources to handle problems. Trade-offs calculation and estimations of resource availability were often used when making decisions. Conclusions Emerging adults choose unhealthy behaviors due to inaccurate information and insufficient competence to practice healthy lifestyles rather than because of laziness or being irrational.

‘It’s Important to Make Changes.’ Insights about Motivators and Enablers of Healthy Lifestyle Modification from Young Aboriginal Men in Western Australia

“…This includes a qualitative study with overweight and obese participants (predominantly African-American women) aged 18–29 years, with and without pre-diabetes. Unhealthy behaviours were attributed to lack of health knowledge such as guidelines for healthy eating and physical activity, and perceiving behaviours or weight to be insufficiently unhealthy to necessitate change [26].…”

Bridging the gap between science and society: long-term effects of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Programme (HLCP, cohort 1) on weight and the metabolic risk profile: a controlled study

“…7 8 Yet, neither are most people aware how big their own behaviours and choices influence risk, nor are they adequately educated how to change their lifestyle accordingly. 9 This is especially true for men and people of low socio-economic status, who typically have a lower level of health literacy, that is, they lack knowledge and resources to promote their own health and attend health education programmes less frequently. [10][11][12] What this paper adds ► Insights in the effects of comprehensive lifestyle programs as measures to prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases.…”

NANDA‐I, NOC, and NIC Linkages for Nutritional Problems

“…The NOC outcomes and NIC interventions determined for obesity and overweight nursing diagnoses can be used in other situations than those already mentioned, because many factors influence lifestyle behaviors. Transition from adolescence to adulthood is a common example of a factor, most likely due to health perceptions, social and cultural pressures, low health literacy, and developmental demands (Cha et al., 2016). A recent study from the United States evidenced that nearly half of non‐overweight adolescent participants became overweight at some point of this transition.…”

“…In relation to adults, nurses can evaluate the patient's readiness to change their behavior and lifestyle choices, provide weight counseling, and encourage increased physical activity (Budd & Peterson, 2015). In addition, nurses must consider behavioral factors such as perceptions of health, social and cultural pressures, low health literacy, and developmental demands that affect lifestyle choices (Cha, Crowe, Braxter, & Jennings, 2016).…”