REVIEW OR SELF-EFFICACY AND LOCUS OF CONTROL FOR NUTRITION-RELATED AND HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIOR

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.