title: The moderating effect of self-efficacy on normal-weight, overweight, and obese children's math achievement: a longitudinal analysis.
abstract: Increased body weight is associated with decreased cognitive function in school-aged children. The role of self-efficacy in shaping the connection between children's educational achievement and obesity-related comorbidities has not been examined to date. Evidence of the predictive ability of self-efficacy in children is demonstrated in cognitive tasks, including math achievement scores. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy and math achievement in normal weight, overweight, and obese children. I hypothesized that overweight and obese children with higher self-efficacy will be less affected in math achievement than otherwise comparable children with lower self-efficacy. I tested this prediction with multilevel growth modeling techniques using the ECLS-K 1998-1999 survey data, a nationally representative sample of children. Increased self-efficacy moderates the link between body weight and children's math achievement by buffering the risks that increased weight status poses to children's cognitive function. My findings indicate that self-efficacy moderates math outcomes in overweight, but not obese, children.
authors.affiliation: State University of New York-Buffalo, 430 Park Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. Electronic address: alkranja@buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Ashley Wendell
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kranjac
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D050177:Overweight; D063766:Pediatric Obesity; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Childhood obesity; Health; Quantitative; Self-efficacy