Sittichai Thongworn. Compensatory beliefs in weight control among undergraduate students. Doctoral Degree(Medical and Health Social Sciences). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2016.
Compensatory beliefs in weight control among undergraduate students
Abstract:
Compensatory Health Beliefs (CHBs) are one of important concepts which have been used to explain the failure to adopt self-set health goals. Despite the fact that there is much empirical evidence that confirms that CHBs affect self-regulation, especially in terms of individuals' health behavior, there are some questions that have not been studied yet, and there is no empirical evidence to support the hypotheses as presented in the CHBs model. Furthermore, there are no empirical studies that explore the generalizability of the CHBs model to see if it can be applied in a varieties of adolescent groups with different weight control conditions. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to test the hypotheses presented in the CHBs model, and to present a model whose concept expands from the original model. The present study was designed as a quantitative approach. In this study, 788 undergraduate students at Mae Fah Luang University were selected as samples. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire consisting of eight psychometric scales that had been verified for content validity and reliability with resulting satisfactory values. Moreover, the analysis of the causal relationships of different variables in the compensatory health beliefs model was based on path analysis using the AMOS 21 program. The important findings were that desirability had an influence on resolving motivational conflicts by resisting desire and adapting risk perception/outcome expectancy when engaging in tempting behavior. Identified self-concordance had an influence on resolving conflicts by resisting desire. Weight control self-efficacy had an influence on resolving motivational conflict by resisting desire and adapting risk perception/outcome expectancy when engaging in tempting behavior. Weight control self-efficacy had an influence on identified self-concordance. Compensatory behavior self-efficacy had an influence on compensatory behavior intention. Actual behavioral control had an influence on compensatory behavior intention and compensatory behavioral self-efficacy. In addition, the present study also found that the expanded compensatory health beliefs model can be effectively used for explaining the data in the case when individuals have a normal BMI value and when individuals perceive that they have a normal weight. From these findings it could be implied that an activating compensatory belief might be one of various factors that result in the individuals being not overweight or obese if they implement compensatory behavior. Thus, the concept of compensatory health beliefs should be applied to counseling or assistance for individuals who want to control their weight to result in them realizing the process of compensatory health beliefs, which will affect their compensatory behavior intentions in the future. Actual compensatory behavior should be promoted to enhance self-efficacy, which can be conducted by encouraging individuals to change their compensatory behavior intention to become actual behavior, through helping them to plan specific, practical guidelines, monitoring, and providing feedback on a regular basis.