Self-efficacy as a predictor of dietary change in a low-socioeconomic-status southern adult population.
There is an increasing emphasis on designing health promotion interventions for low-socioeconomic-status (SES) individuals. However, many previously developed behavior change tools have not been tested in this population. Self-efficacy was measured at pre- and postintervention as part of a randomized clinical trial to reduce cholesterol levels in rural low-SES Southern adults. A 22-item scale was designed and validated to measure subjects' confidence in their abilities to make dietary changes. High mean self-efficacy was noted in both control and intervention subjects at pre- and postintervention. Mean self-efficacy score was a significant predictor of dietary change at both preintervention and postintervention. This study demonstrates that self-efficacy is a predictor of ability to make dietary changes in a low-SES rural population. This finding is of significance to researchers and practitioners wishing to design theory-based health promotion interventions in this population.
Shannon
J
J
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. jshannon@fhcrc.org
Kirkley
B
B
Ammerman
A
A
Keyserling
T
T
Kelsey
K
K
DeVellis
R
R
Simpson
R J
RJ
D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D012424:Rural Population; D012923:Social Class; D012928:Social Desirability