Testing and integrating socio-cognitive models

Ph.D researcher:  Stefanie Gomez Quiñonez, M.Sc.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hein de Vries; Liesbeth van Osch, PhD

Co-researchers: Sander Matthijs Eggers, PhD

Funding:  /

Objective: Understanding a variety of health behaviors by testing and integrating socio-cognitive models.

Method: /

Study 1: A total of 428 participants filled in a survey, measuring several socio-cognitive constructs, planning, plan enactment, and fruit consumption, at three points in time. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were used to investigate the planning-plan enactment-behavior relationship.

Study 2: A total of 1071 participants filled in a questionnaire at three points of time, measuring preparatory planning, coping planning, preparatory plan enactment, coping plan enactment, self-efficacy and physical activity. First, SEM analyses were used to test whether the effect of both preparatory planning and coping planning on physical activity is fully mediated by enactment. Subsequently,   it was tested where self-efficacy plans a role within the planning enactment relationship.

Results:

Study 1: Mediation analyses revealed that the effect of planning on fruit consumption is fully mediated by plan enactment. Subsequently, moderated mediation analyses indicated that all four proposed moderators (intention, self-efficacy, habit to consume fruit, and habit to consume snacks) significantly influenced the mediation. Results indicated that the mediation effect of plan enactment was only present with high levels of intention, high levels of self-efficacy, strong habits to eat fruit, and weak habits to eat snacks.

Study 2: SEM analyses indicate that the effect of preparatory and coping plans on physical activity is fully mediated by the enactment of these plans. Furthermore, analyses reveal that self-efficacy plays an important role with regard to planning and enactment, but that is also the result of planning and enactment.

Publications: /