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Can Health Behaviors and Motives Predict College Students’ Self-Esteem?
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by Chelsea R. Fielder-Jenks - Texas State University–San Marcos
Categories: Health
A sample of 268 college students completed a 98-item questionnaire that surveyed
their knowledge of eating and exercise recommendations, their eating and exercise
motives and behaviors, and their self-esteem. A regression analysis using a forward
method of entry was used to investigate whether certain food choice motives, exercise
motives, knowledge of diet and physical activity recommendations, and healthy
eating and physical activity behaviors can predict college students’ self-esteem. The
first variable to enter the model and significantly increase the amount of variance
explained was the food motive of mood (β = 0.23; R2 change = 0.07; F(1, 209)
= 13.90, p < .001). The food motive of health entered next and significantly
increased the amount of variance explained (β = -0.21; R2 change = 0.07; F(2,
208) = 16.22, p < .001). The final three variables to enter and significantly
increase the amount of variance explained were the following: the exercise motive
of health (β = -0.23; R2 change = 0.02; F(3, 207) = 12.89, p < .001); the exercise
motive of attractiveness (β = 0.22; R2 change = 0.03; F(4, 206) = 12.14, p <
.001); and the food motive of ethical concern (β = 0.16; R2 change = 0.02; F(5,
205) = 11.07, p < .001). No other variables significantly explained additional
variance in self-esteem. These findings suggest that for college students, certain
food and exercise motives are related to self-esteem. The potential impact of college
students’ health-related motives and behaviors on self-esteem may be beneficial in
developing interventions related to health and self-esteem.
Fall 2010 | Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (Vol. 15, No. 3, p. 143), published by Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2010, Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.