Understanding Energy-balance Behaviors in Diverse Populations
Abstract
Adult obesity is one of the most critical problems plaguing public health. Obesity is associated with many chronic diseases and negative health outcomes, and levels of obesity in U.S. adults continue to rise. Adequate levels of physical activity and healthy dietary behaviors together produce energy-balance, which can reduce and prevent obesity. However, physical activity and diet interventions have shown limited effect in halting the rising obesity prevalence in adults, and these interventions have seldom been tested or conducted in diverse populations, beyond Non-Hispanic Whites. This dissertation aimed to understand factors influencing energy-balance behaviors in racially and ethnically diverse populations. This dissertation is in the form of three manuscripts, each contributing to the overall aim. In manuscript 1, we examined determinants of utilization of recreational facilities and physical activity in a low-income, Hispanic sample using ordinal regression models. Our results showed that previous physical activity behavior and individual attitudes towards physical activity, as well as perceived safety and quality of the neighborhood's recreational facilities, were associated with utilization of recreational facilities and physical activity in this low-income, Hispanic adult sample. In manuscript 2, we conducted mediation analyses to understand how utilization of recreational facilities and programs in recreation centers and parks mediate the relation between perceived access and quality of those resources and physical activity itself in a low-income, predominately Hispanic sample. We found that the perceived quality of the recreational facilities was associated with their utilization, and that their utilization was associated with physical activity. Furthermore, utilization of recreational facilities fully mediated the relationship between perceived quality and physical activity. We also found that perceived access to programs at the recreational facilities was associated with the utilization of the programs. In manuscript 3, we assessed the potential for co-action, or change in one behavior influencing change in the other, between two energy-balance behaviors, physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake. We also assessed co-action between self-efficacy for physical activity and self-efficacy for fruit and vegetable intake. Our results showed that there was co-action between self-efficacy for fruit and vegetable intake and self-efficacy for physical activity, as well as for the behaviors: fruit and vegetable intake and self-reported physical activity. Overall, these manuscripts expand the existing literature examining factors that influence energy-balance behaviors in diverse populations. Findings can inform future interventions in racially and ethnically diverse samples, especially interventions targeting individual-level behaviors or encouraging change at the community-level.
Subject Area
Behavioral psychology|Public health
Recommended Citation
Heredia, Natalia Ivana, "Understanding Energy-balance Behaviors in Diverse Populations" (2018). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI10787175.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI10787175