scholarly journals Determinants of Fruits and Vegetable Intake Among International Students in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 575-584
Author(s):  
Ampon-Wireko Sabina ◽  
Zhou Lulin ◽  
Asante Antwi Henry ◽  
Wireko Brobby Ebenezer
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Benefits

<p><strong>Background :</strong> Adverse health impacts of poor diet among the youth have become a subject of key concern for researchers and health professionals. Recently, studies proposed social norms and perceived as determinants of nutritional behavior among students. Empirical results from other literature evidenced the hypothesis that fruits and vegetable intake in students is affected by other perceived benefits. The objective of the study is to examine the role of social norms, perceived barriers and perceived benefits in fruits and vegetable intake among oversea students in China.</p> <p><strong>Method and Material : </strong>The subjects of the study include 411 foreign students in China with a structured questionnaire regarding perceived barriers, social norms and perceived benefits of fruits and vegetables intake. Hypotheses were practically tested and confirmed through Structural Equation Modeling.</p> <p><strong>Findings </strong>: The findings of the study show standardized estimates of the consumption of fruits and vegetable indicators among international students in China. Factor loading regarding path analysis clearly indicates that perceived barriers and social norms would cause a decline of fruits and vegetable intake while perceived benefits will help enhance fruits and vegetable intake.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion : </strong>The study concludes that, nutritional education programs targeting student groups should be encouraged for a positive behavior change and transformation of group norms and adherence to fruit and vegetable consumption.</p>

How social norms affect alcohol dependence: the mediating role of perceived benefits and alcohol identity

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (12) ◽  
pp. 3935-3946
Author(s):  
Shih-Tse Edward Wang ◽  
Yu-Ting Liao
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
Study Results

PurposeAlthough the association between social norms and alcohol dependence has been noted, how social norms cause alcohol dependence remains unclear. This study thus investigated how social norms affect the perceived benefits of drinking and alcohol identity, which in turn affect alcohol dependence.Design/methodology/approachConvenience sampling was used, and 452 valid questionnaires were collected from alcohol (specifically, beer) consumers over the age of 18; answers were analyzed through structural equation modeling.FindingsSocial norms positively affected the perceived benefits of drinking and alcohol identity; alcohol identity positively affected alcohol dependence; moreover, alcohol identity fully mediated the effects of social norms and the perceived benefits of drinking on alcohol dependence.Originality/valueHow social norms affect alcohol dependence has rarely been studied; thus, the present study has value for integrating the findings in the lines of research on social norms and alcohol dependence. Based on the study results, the authors recommend that policies aimed at discouraging alcohol dependence should focus on mitigating the social pressure to drink and the perceived benefits of drinking as well as labeling others as drinkers.

scholarly journals Development and Validation of a Decisional Balance Tool to Assess Perceived Benefits and Barriers of Vegetable Consumption in Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaeko Kawaguchi ◽  
Junichiro Somei ◽  
Chikana Kawaguchi ◽  
Akiko Suganuma ◽  
Shinsuke Nirengi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Decisional Balance ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
External Parameter ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Development And Validation

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a decisional balance tool for assessing the perceived benefits and barriers of vegetable intake in adults. Methods: Our study comprised 379 adults aged 20–70 years (mean age: 30.5 ± 12.6 years; men: 21.4%). Data (demographic parameters, vegetable intake, stage of change) were collected via a web-based survey. The decisional balance score was calculated by subtracting the score for perceived barriers from the score for perceived benefits.Results: The final 24 items in our questionnaire had a two-domain (“pleasure” and “healthy” for perceived benefits) or three-domain (“not attractive,” “low priority,” and “hard to get” for perceived barriers) structure with high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.82, 0.79, 0.82, 0.76, and 0.76, respectively). The intraclass correlation coefficient in a test-retest reliability study was high (0.77). The decisional balance score positively correlated with the number of vegetable servings as the external parameter (Spearman's correlation: 0.461; P <0.001).Conclusions: Our questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the pros and cons of vegetable consumption in adults.

An Integrated Behavioral Model for Medical Tourism: An American Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 004728752090768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suja Chaulagain ◽  
Abraham Pizam ◽  
Youcheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Behavioral Model ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Behavioral Control ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Study Results

This study aims to develop and test a theoretical model that predicts individuals’ intention to engage in medical tourism. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test the study hypotheses by using data collected from 246 US residents. The study results indicated that perceived benefits were positively, and perceived barriers negatively, associated with attitude, and perceived barriers had a negative impact on perceived behavioral control. The study results further revealed that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm positively influenced individuals’ intention to engage in medical tourism. Finally, a significant moderating effect of perceived severity was found on the relationships between perceived benefits and attitude, perceived barriers and attitude, and attitude and behavioral intention. The findings of the study offer valuable theoretical contributions and practical implications in the context of medical tourism.

scholarly journals The influence of PSA's likeability on children’s intentions to eat healthy food

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Nicolini ◽  
Fabio Cassia
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Public Service Announcements ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Suggested Model ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Social Messages

AbstractThis paper suggests a model that considers the effects of the children’s attitude toward Public Service Announcements—PSAs (measured through the likeability of PSAs) on their behavioural intention to eat fruits and vegetables. The suggested model was tested through an empirical analysis conducted with children aged 8 to 11 and the data were analysed through partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) multigroup analysis. The findings indicate that the positive emotions PSAs generate and PSA credibility mediate the effects of the children’s perceived likeability of PSAs on their behavioural intention to eat fruits and vegetables. Overall, understanding the connections between PSA likeability, positive emotions, PSA credibility and behavioural intentions can facilitate the development of further social advertisements aimed at children covering healthy eating. Therefore, the findings of this study are relevant for non-profit organizations, government institutions and advertisers interested in creating effective social messages aimed at children.

scholarly journals Structural equation modeling to shed light on the controversial role of climate on the spread of SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Spada ◽  
Francesco Antonio Tucci ◽  
Aldo Ummarino ◽  
Paolo Pio Ciavarella ◽  
Nicholas Calà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Relevant Role

AbstractClimate seems to influence the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but the findings of the studies performed so far are conflicting. To overcome these issues, we performed a global scale study considering 134,871 virologic-climatic-demographic data (209 countries, first 16 weeks of the pandemic). To analyze the relation among COVID-19, population density, and climate, a theoretical path diagram was hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), a powerful statistical technique for the evaluation of causal assumptions. The results of the analysis showed that both climate and population density significantly influence the spread of COVID-19 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Overall, climate outweighs population density (path coefficients: climate vs. incidence = 0.18, climate vs. prevalence = 0.11, population density vs. incidence = 0.04, population density vs. prevalence = 0.05). Among the climatic factors, irradiation plays the most relevant role, with a factor-loading of − 0.77, followed by temperature (− 0.56), humidity (0.52), precipitation (0.44), and pressure (0.073); for all p < 0.001. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that climatic factors significantly influence the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, demographic factors, together with other determinants, can affect the transmission, and their influence may overcome the protective effect of climate, where favourable.

scholarly journals Intentions to Consume Sustainably Produced Fish: The Moderator Effects of Involvement and Environmental Awareness

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 946
Author(s):  
Kåre Skallerud ◽  
John Armbrecht ◽  
Ho Huy Tuu
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Environmental Awareness ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Behavioral Control ◽  
Product Involvement ◽  
Boomerang Effect ◽  
Positive Effect

The purpose of this study is to apply the conceptual framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain the consumption of sustainable produced fish in Sweden. We seek to understand the moderating role of food product involvement and environmental awareness as extensions of traditional constructs such as attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control. The data were derived from a representative sample of 1974 Swedish consumers. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationships between constructs and evaluate the reliability and the validity of the constructs. Attitudes had a significantly positive effect on intention to consume fish in general and sustainably produced fish in particular. Social norms had significantly positive effect on intention to consume fish in general, but no effect on intention to consume sustainably produced fish. Behavioral control had no effect on behavioral intention. Interestingly, involvement negatively moderated the effect of attitudes on both intention to consume more fish and to consume more sustainably produced fish. Environmental awareness also negatively moderated the effect of attitudes on intention to consume more sustainably produced fish. It seems that attempts to create food product involvement and environmental awareness among consumers may have the opposite effect—a boomerang effect—than what conventional wisdom and much of the research on fish consumption indicates. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

What makes up intentions to purchase the pioneer? A theory of reasoned action approach in India and the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 734-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Mady
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Theory Of Reasoned Action ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the research paradigm focusing on behaviorally-based first-mover advantages (FMA) by applying the widely-accepted Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and offers insights into differences between a mature market (USA) and an emerging market (EM) (India) regarding how intentions to purchase the pioneer are formed. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing samples of 208 USA and 194 Indian consumers, hypotheses examining the underlying beliefs, attitudes, social norms and purchasing intentions regarding pioneer brands are developed and tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Insights from the study suggest the TRA provides a means for assessing behaviorally-based FMAs across cultures, even as manifestations of purchase intentions differ significantly. According to the TRA and findings of this study, intentions are a function of overall attitudes and social norms. In the USA, individual attitudes were found to play a more significant role than social norms in formulating purchase intention. In India, social norms played a more dominant role in intention formation. Originality/value The study represents one of the first empirical attempts to shed light on the extent of behaviorally-based FMAs in an EM and how manifestations of intention to purchase the pioneer differ from mature markets. The study expands the behavioral paradigm of analysis to include one of the most sought-after EMs today (India) and provides one of the first empirical studies to utilize the TRA in addressing behaviorally-based FMAs.

Abstract P070: The Relationship Between Weight and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, Assessed by Serum Carotenoids and Self-Report: Results from the PREMIER Trial

Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie L Parker ◽  
Liwei Chen ◽  
Diane C Mitchell ◽  
Hsin-Chieh Yeh ◽  
Cheryl Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Average Intake ◽  
Serum Carotenoids ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Increased intake of fruits and vegetables (F/V) may protect against adiposity, but effects on weight have been inconsistent. Our objective was to examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and weight, using direct and indirect measures of dietary intake: self-reported 24-hour recall and serum carotenoid levels. Methods: Participants from the PREMIER lifestyle intervention trial were included in this analysis (n=554). Dietary measures included 24-hour dietary recalls and serum carotenoid levels, from a fasting blood sample. The outcome was weight in pounds. Nested linear mixed models were used to examine the association between F/V and weight. Results: Mean F/V increased from 4.6 (SD 2.4) to 5.6 (SD 3.2) (p=<.01), mean serum carotenoids increased from 53.2 (SD 31.9) to 68.1 (SD 42.5) (p=<.01). At 18 months, participants in the lowest quintile of fruit and vegetable change reported an average intake of 4.42.8 servings of fruits and vegetables, and those in the highest quintile of change reported an average intake of 7.73.2 servings. In a multivariate model adjusting for age, race, gender, intervention, energy, study site, and time, lower body weight was associated with higher F/V intake measured by dietary recall (−0.63 lbs, 95% CI −0.83 to −0.42, per 1 serving increase in F/V) and serum carotenoids (−0.13 lbs, 95% CI −0.15 to −0.11, per 1 ug/dl increase in carotenoids). Results were somewhat attenuated but consistent after additional adjustments for working heart rate, exercise, calories from sugar-sweetened beverages, marital and employment status, and alcohol use . Conclusions: Greater fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with decreased body weight. Results were consistent for both objective and self-reported measures of fruit and vegetable intake.

Nutritional value and health benefits of horticulture.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Bodily Function ◽  
Functional Components

Abstract Daily consumption of fruit and vegetables is encouraged as important for human health and nutrition because the vitamins, minerals, essential micronutrients, fibre, vegetable proteins and bio-functional components they provide are crucial for bodily function. The FAO/WHO expert consultation (2004) on diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases recommended a daily intake of 400 g (five portions) of fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers) to prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. However, despite this recognition, world-wide per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables is estimated to be 20-50% short of the minimum recommended level. In 2013 an estimated 5.2 million deaths worldwide were attributable to inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption. Adhering to the WHO recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake can prevent morbidity and mortality caused by micronutrient deficiencies, birth defects, mental and physical retardation, weakened immune systems, blindness and even death. Improving the dietary diversity through horticulture-based food intake is an effective and sustainable approach to combating micronutrient malnutrition in both developed and developing countries (Kennedy et al., 2003).

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