R. Abusabha et C. Achterberg, REVIEW OR SELF-EFFICACY AND LOCUS OF CONTROL FOR NUTRITION-RELATED AND HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97(10), 1997, pp. 1122-1132
This article reviews several cognitive predictors of health- and diet-
related behaviors commonly used in theories and models of nutrition an
d health behavior change. Constructs such as self-efficacy, self-estee
m, outcome expectancies, health value. and locus of control are examin
ed, Self-efficacy has repeatedly been a good predictor of health behav
ior, sometimes explaining more than 50% of variability. Research on lo
cus of control and other predictive factors has been less conclusive.
The take-home message is threefold: (a) task specificity of self-effic
acy and domain specificity of locus of control are crucial for unravel
ing their effects on behavior; (b) careful segmentation of different p
opulation groups under study may explain the inconsistencies in previo
us research; and (c) especially when studying dietary behavior, these
predictors of behavior change should not be used alone or in place of
one another but should be used simultaneously to explain complex food
and diet-related behaviors. We recommend that nutritionists systematic
ally integrate available theories and models and explore new areas for
studying human behavior, such as sociology and anthropology, to form
a more powerful, comprehensive model for behavior change.