Motivational versus social cognitive interventions for promoting fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity in African American adolescents.
Strategic self-presentation (motivational intervention [MI]) is a theoretical approach that is distinct from social cognitive theory (SCT). Specifically, strategic self-presentation involves increasing motivation by creating cognitive dissonance and inducing shifts in self-concept by generating positive coping strategies during a videotaped session. Fifty-three healthy African American adolescents were randomized to a SCT+MI, SCT-only, or an education-only group for increasing fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and physical activity. The SCT+MI and SCT-only groups received a 12-week SCT program. Students in the SCT+MI group also participated in a strategic self-presentation videotape session. Participants completed 3-day food records, completed measures of self-concept and self-efficacy, and wore an activity monitor for 4 days at pre- and posttreatment. Both the SCT+MI (2.6 +/- 1.4 vs. 5.7 +/- 2.2, p < .05) and the SCT-only (2.5 +/- 1.2 vs. 4.8 +/- 2.4, p < .05) groups showed greater increases in F&V intake from pre- to posttreatment as compared with the education-only group (2.3 +/- 1.0, vs. 3.3 +/- 2.1, p > .05). There were no significant time or group effects for any of the physical activity measures. Correlation analyses revealed that only the SCT+MI group showed that dietary self-concept (r = .58, r = .67, p < .05) and dietary self-efficacy (r = .65, r = .85, p < .05) were significantly correlated with posttreatment F&V intake and change in F&V intake, respectively. These findings suggest that the change in F&V intake in the SCT+MI group resulted from strategic self-presentation, which induced positive shifts in self-concept and self-efficacy.
Wilson
Dawn K
DK
Prevention Research Center, and Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, USA. dkwilson@sc.edu
Friend
Ronald
R
Teasley
Nicole
N
Green
Sabra
S
Reaves
Irvine Lee
IL
Sica
Domenic A
DA
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D019336:Cognitive Science; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables