Abstract & Overview
Westernized dietary preferences and life-styles are thought to have a significant impact on the increasing prevalence of obesity in Asian populations. The increased numbers of overweight and obese adolescents is becoming an emerging health issue in Asia. Meanwhile, previous studies have indicated that adolescents ' self-perceived weight is poorly related to the medical definition of overweight, and considerable numbers of clinically normal-weight persons are trying to or wish to control weight. Due to the considerable prevalence of desire for weight control among adolescents who are not overweight /obese, it is important for researchers to look at the issue of weight management in non-clinical populations. The main goal of the investigation was to examine the applicability of the concepts of decisional balance and self-efficacy in weight management behavior in an adolescent population in Taiwan. The first step was to develop and evaluate a 14-item Chinese version of Decisional Balance Inventory, and a 15-item Weight Efficacy Questionnaire using a sample of 491 adolescents in a high school in Taiwan. Using split-half, cross-validation procedures , a two-factor decisional balance model fit the data best (CFI=.971, RMSEA=.042) with good internal consistency for both Pros (.85) and Cons (.72). Using split-half, cross-validation procedures, a hierarchical four-factor self-efficacy model fit the data well (CFI=.940, RMSEA=.059) with adequate internal consistency for all scales: negative emotion (.80), availability and positive activities (.80), social pressure (.68), and physical discomfort (.80). External validity of the scales was assessed with MANO VA, ANOV As, and follow-up Tukey tests examining the relationships between decisional balance and Stage, and the relationships between self-efficacy and Stage. Results from multiple-sample confumatory factor analyses suggested that gender subgroups could be treated as arising from the same populatio11. Results also i11dicated that the tau equivalent model, instead of parallel model, was the preferred model for decisional balance and self-efficacy across the two BMI groups. Results supported the reliabilities and validities of the Decisional Balance Inventory and Weight Efficacy Questionnaire, and suggested that these measures are similar to the measures for US adolescents. These measures may be useful for developing and tailoring interventions to adolescents' level of readiness for weight management.