Comparing the Self-Efficacy of Weight Management in Young Adults

Disciplines

Public Health Education and Promotion

Abstract (300 words maximum)

The obesity epidemic in the United States continues to grow as research progresses to understand more behind this issue. As monitoring one’s health continues to progress from a clinical setting to a “self-monitoring” method with the use of technology such as cell phones, it comes to question how confident individuals feel about controlling their own weight. Previous studies have explored connections between technology and weight, but focus more on the effectiveness of the platform being used rather than the certainty of the individuals to understand how the effectiveness impacts them. The purpose of this study is to explore the relation between the use of health/fitness mobile applications and the self-efficacy in weight management for young adults aged 18-24. Young adults attending Kennesaw State University will take a survey via Qualtrics evaluating their control of their weight management. Weight management will be evaluated by using 6 items from the subscale WMA (weight management actions) from the P-Weight to assess current weight status. The use of health apps will be measured using items from a survey based on the UTAUT2 (second version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model) to confirm the use of health apps. Barriers will be evaluated by using a 5 item pros and cons scale to measure perceived barriers to maintaining ideal weight statuses. Demographic variables such as age, gender, access, BMI, and awareness of wellness were also collected. SPSS will be used to analyse the collected data. Expected results include that those that actively use health and fitness apps will have a higher level of self-efficacy of their weight compared to those that do not regardless of weight (BMI) status. This study aims to improve the understanding of the current weight status of young adults and the perceived effectiveness of e-health platforms.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

WCHHS - Health Promotion and Physical Education

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Afekwo Mary Ukuku

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Comparing the Self-Efficacy of Weight Management in Young Adults

The obesity epidemic in the United States continues to grow as research progresses to understand more behind this issue. As monitoring one’s health continues to progress from a clinical setting to a “self-monitoring” method with the use of technology such as cell phones, it comes to question how confident individuals feel about controlling their own weight. Previous studies have explored connections between technology and weight, but focus more on the effectiveness of the platform being used rather than the certainty of the individuals to understand how the effectiveness impacts them. The purpose of this study is to explore the relation between the use of health/fitness mobile applications and the self-efficacy in weight management for young adults aged 18-24. Young adults attending Kennesaw State University will take a survey via Qualtrics evaluating their control of their weight management. Weight management will be evaluated by using 6 items from the subscale WMA (weight management actions) from the P-Weight to assess current weight status. The use of health apps will be measured using items from a survey based on the UTAUT2 (second version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model) to confirm the use of health apps. Barriers will be evaluated by using a 5 item pros and cons scale to measure perceived barriers to maintaining ideal weight statuses. Demographic variables such as age, gender, access, BMI, and awareness of wellness were also collected. SPSS will be used to analyse the collected data. Expected results include that those that actively use health and fitness apps will have a higher level of self-efficacy of their weight compared to those that do not regardless of weight (BMI) status. This study aims to improve the understanding of the current weight status of young adults and the perceived effectiveness of e-health platforms.