Self-efficacy and cues to action: Two main predictors of modified version of diet quality index in Iranian adolescents

Main Article Content

Parisa Keshani
Moosa Salehi
Mohammad Hossein Kaveh
Shiva Faghih

Keywords

Health promotion, Eating behavior, Healthy diet, Healthy Eating Indices, Adolescent

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between health belief model (HBM) constructs and a modified version of diet quality index in Iranian adolescents. Methods: One thousand and fifty five adolescents aged 13-15 years old completed this cross-sectional study. Participants were selected from secondary schools in Shiraz, one of the megacities of Iran, using stratified random sampling. A modified version of revised children’s diet quality index (M-RCDQI), was calculated for each adolescents and its association with the model construct was assessed using linear regression. Results: Mean M-RCDQI score was 58.91±8.58 out of the total of 90 points. Among the M-RCDQI components, the worse scores were obtained by dairy intake, dietary fiber and vegetables in which less than 20% of the students reached maximum score. Among HBM constructs, cues to action (B=0.194, p=0.003) and self-efficacy (B=0.04, p=0.007) had positive, significant association with adolescents’ diet quality. Also there was a positive, significant association between cues to action and fruits consumption (B=0.026, P=0.026), and a negative significant association was seen between cues to action and total fat intake (B=-0.629, p=0.021). Furthermore, self-efficacy had a direct significant association with dairy intake. Conclusion: M-RCDQI could be a suitable tool for assessment of diet quality index and it is recommended for use in further studies in similar populations. Cues to action and self-efficacy would both be effective mediators in improvement of nutritional behavior among adolescents.


 

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