Over the past several decades, overweight and obesity levels have increased throughout the United States. From 1991 to 1999, the BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) indicates that the greatest increases among obese people occurred in persons with some college education (10.6% to 17.8%), those between the ages of 18 and 29 years (7.1% to 12.1%), and those living in the South Atlantic area (e.g., 71.8% of Florida, 10.1% to 17.4%). The overweight (or obesity) epidemic, especially for college students, is a complex phenomenon without a single cause. Few studies, however, have been done regarding the value of college- and university-based interventions. Studies suggest that those beliefs which discriminate between high-intenders (those who intend to perform a specific behavior) and low-intenders (those who have lesser intentions to perform a specific behavior) may be candidates for communication interventions to enhance audience intentions to perform specific behaviors. This study examines the utility of theory-based discriminate messages designed to increase college students' intentions to eat healthy food and engage in substantive physical activity. In the present study three research objectives are presented. The first objective is to report the relative contributions of variables in an extended theory of planned behavior model (TPB, plus habit, symbolic modeling, and direct modeling) predicting behavioral intentions to eat healthy food and perform physical activity in direct or indirect ways. A second objective is to give a detailed analysis of underlying cognitive structures corresponding to specific beliefs, which discriminate most between high-intenders and low-intenders. The final objective is to report the effects of discriminated messages in changing behavioral intentions to eat a healthy diet and to perform physical activity following a classroom intervention. Structural Equation Model (SEM), ANOVA, stepwise regression, MANOVA, ANCOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA procedures were used to test the effectiveness of the discriminated messages. The extended TPB model used in this study served as a useful framework for understanding determinants of behavioral intentions of healthy eating and physical activity. Final models in both the healthy eating and physical activity domain showed acceptable fit statistics. For the second objective, a series of discriminating beliefs were selected for persuasive intervention messages in the treatment group. After the message intervention, ANCOVA analyses showed significant higher posttest mean scores for two constructs (e.g., perceived behavioral control (PBC) and behavioral intention) in both the healthy eating and physical activity domains. The repeated measures ANOVA analyses revealed, once again, that treatment group participants were consistently higher than control group participants in the mean scores of behavioral intention and PBC. Moreover, the greatest pre-posttest changes were for the low intenders in the experimental group for both behavioral intention and PBC. Overall, the current study contributes to the literature because it uses a theory-driven approach to develop discriminate messages that can be used to influence college students' intentions to eat healthy food and to participate in physical activity. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2006. / June 12, 2006. / Engage In Physical Activities, The Effects Of Discriminate Message. Behavioral In, Eat Healthy Foods / Includes bibliographical references. / Gary R. Heald, Professor Directing Dissertation; Isaac Eberstein, Outside Committee Member; John K. Mayo, Committee Member; Felipe Korzenny, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_181976 |
| Contributors | Jung, Taejin (authoraut), Heald, Gary R. (professor directing dissertation), Eberstein, Isaac (outside committee member), Mayo, John K. (committee member), Korzenny, Felipe (committee member), School of Communication (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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