Intention, perceived control, and weight loss: an application of the theory of planned behavior.

Success at attempted weight reduction among college women was predicted on the basis of a theory of planned behavior. At the beginning of a 6-week period, participants expressed their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, and intentions with respect to losing weight. In addition, the extent to which they had made detailed weight reduction plans was assessed, as were a number of general attitudes and personality factors. In support of the theory, intentions to lose weight were accurately predicted on the basis of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control; perceived control and intentions were together moderately successful in predicting the amount of weight that participants actually lost over the 6-week period. Actual weight loss was also found to increase with development of a plan and with ego strength, factors that were assumed to increase control over goal attainment. Other factors, such as health locus of control, perceived competence, and action control, were found to be unrelated to weight reduction.

[1]  THE RESULTS OF TREATMENT OF OBESITY , 1959 .

[2]  A. Stunkard,et al.  The results of treatment for obesity: a review of the literature and report of a series. , 1959, A.M.A. archives of internal medicine.

[3]  M. R. Fields.  HEALTH EDUCATION MONOGRAPHS , 1960 .

[4]  J. S. Shrauger,et al.  Self‐esteem and the effects of success and failure feedback on performance , 1970 .

[5]  S. Hall,et al.  Outcome and methodological considerations in behavioral treatment of obesity , 1974 .

[6]  A Bandura,et al.  Cognitive processes mediating behavioral change. , 1977, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[7]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. , 1977 .

[8]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. , 1977, Psychological review.

[9]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research , 1977 .

[10]  E. Saltzer,et al.  Locus of control and the intention to lose weight. , 1978, Health education monographs.

[11]  Kenneth A. Wallston,et al.  Development of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales , 1978, Health education monographs.

[12]  R R Wing,et al.  Outpatient treatments of obesity: a comparison of methodology and clinical results. , 1979, International journal of obesity.

[13]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior , 1980 .

[14]  S. Schachter.  Recidivism and self-cure of smoking and obesity. , 1982, The American psychologist.

[15]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency , 2024, Psihologìâ ì suspìlʹstvo.

[16]  J. Beckmann,et al.  Action control : from cognition to behavior , 1985 .

[17]  Icek Ajzen,et al.  From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior , 1985 .