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An Information‐Motivation‐Behavioral Skills Model for Child Sweetened Beverage Consumption
Author(s) -
Goodell L. Suzanne,
Amico K. Rivet,
Pierce Michelle B.,
Ferris Ann M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.678.2
Subject(s) - overweight , consumption (sociology) , psychology , psychological intervention , set (abstract data type) , preference , structural equation modeling , developmental psychology , reinforcement , behavioral modeling , caloric intake , social psychology , obesity , economics , computer science , medicine , social science , sociology , microeconomics , machine learning , psychiatry , artificial intelligence , programming language
As childhood overweight rates increase, a critical need exists to understand parental choices impacting their child's caloric intake. One important and often overlooked contributor to a child's caloric intake is sweetened beverage consumption (CSBC). This study sought to apply a well validated theory of health behavior, the Information‐Motivation‐Behavioral Skills (IMB) model, to CSBC. The proposed IMB‐CSBC model hypothesizes that CSBC‐related information, motivation, and behavioral skills are key determinants of CSBC. We evaluated this model with 198 parents of preschoolers via a self‐report IMB‐CSBC survey and home beverage inventory. Using Structural Equation Modeling, we developed a model accounting for 14% of the variation in CSBC. According to the model (see Figure 1), parents’ information and behavioral skills about CSBC negatively related to CSBC. Behavioral skills also mediated a relationship between information and CSBC, as well as motivation and CSBC. This study provides support for the core IMB‐CSBC model constructs. Using this model, we plan to develop interventions for parents targeting areas such as accurately identifying sweetened and unsweetened beverages, learning how to set and implement limits for child beverage consumption, and reducing the impact of TV on child beverage preference. Funded by Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, USDA National Needs Fellowship and UConn FSNE