Social-cognitive predictors of dietary behaviors in South Korean men and women

Background: Eating a diet that is high in vitamins and low in fat is considered to be governed by social-cognitive factors, such as intentions, planning, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancies. Purpose: A longitudinal field study was designed to examine the interrelationships of these factors with dietary behaviors. Method: In 697 South Korean men and women, objective health-risk status was assessed at Time 1 (cholesterol, blood pressure, and body mass index) in conjunction with self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and intentions. At Time 2, six months later, coping self-efficacy, planning, and dietary behaviors were measured. A two-group structural equation model for men and women was specified to determine the relations of distal and proximal predictors of a healthy diet. Results: Self-efficacy was of equal predictive power in men and women, whereas intentions and planning were relevant only in women. Objective risk status was associated with intentions in women but not in men. Conclusions: Results confirm the predictive power of the Health Action Process Approach and point to the role of gender in the self-regulation of dietary behaviors. Key words: intention, planning, risk, self-efficacy, nutrition To maintain health and fitness, it is recommended to follow a diet that is low in saturated fats and high in vitamins by consuming, for example, 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day (Hu & Willett, 2002; WHO, 2003). However, most individuals do not adhere to this health behavior, and many have not even contemplated adopting it (Jackson et al., 2005; Riebe et al., 2003). Determinants of why people engage in health-promoting behaviors, such as a healthy diet, are de-scribed by social-cognitive health behavior models. The most prominent models are the Health Belie