College students' motivation to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and refine a scale of motivational factors related to healthy weight achievement and maintenance and to examine differences by gender and weight status.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 300 university students aged 18-24 years.


RESULTS
Factor analysis yielded 6 factors-Intrinsic (Cronbach's alpha=0.73): affective motivation, self-efficacy/interest; Extrinsic (Cronbach's alpha=0.68): social reward, peer pressure, lack of choice, and authority influence. Males and normal-weight students showed higher affective motivation and overall intrinsic motivation compared to females and overweight students, (P<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Intrinsic motivational factors and gender differences should be considered in developing obesity prevention interventions in this age-group.
Furia
Andrea C
AC
Office of Special Health issues, Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD, USA.
Lee
Rebecca E
RE
Strother
Myra L
ML
Huang
Terry T-K
TT
D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult