Scheduled for Research Coordinating Board Oral Presentations II, Friday, April 2, 2004, 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM, Convention Center: 211/212


Obesity: College Students' Behavioral Intentions and Behaviors Toward the Obese

Carol C. Irwin1, Cindy Symons2 and Dianne Kerr2, (1)University of Memphis, Germantown, TN, (2)Kent State University, Kent, OH

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the relationship between selected demographic variables (age, sex, academic major, BMI, & race/ethnicity), behavioral intention, and self-reported behavior toward the obese among college students. The subjects used in this study (n=718) were acquired from a population of college students at an urban university in the south central region of the United States who were enrolled in a personal health class required for graduation. Two instruments used in this research to measure the dependent variables of behavioral intention and behavior were modified from a previously used questionnaire, the Shared Activities Questionnaire (SAQ-B), which was designed for the elementary student. The behavioral intention instrument, the College Obesity Attitude Scale (COAS), and the behavior instrument, the College Obesity Behavior Scale (COBS), were written to be more suitable for the reading level and daily life experiences of a college student. Pearson correlation analysis with linear regression, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), independent t-test analysis, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were utilized for hypothesis testing. A statistically significant relationship was found between behavioral intention and self-reported behavior toward the obese among this sample of college students. Also, statistically significant differences were found when comparing the demographic variables of age, sex, BMI, and race/ethnicity to both dependent variables. Age, sex, and BMI were both found to have a statistically significant relationship with behavior toward the obese. No significant differences were found between academic major and race/ethnicity, and behavior toward the obese. Discussion of the findings will include recommendations. Recommendations will be presented in relation to linking the specific demographic variable to the behavioral construct, and possible strategies to maintain positive or modify negative behavioral intentions and behaviors toward the obese.

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