Clustering of energy balance-related behaviours and their intrapersonal determinants

Abstract

The consistent increase in the prevalence of obesity that currently occurs in industrialised countries can be explained by the existence of multiple behavioural actions that exert continuous pressure toward a positive energy balance. The present study examined the clustering of intrapersonal determinants of five energy balance-related behaviours (i.e., consumption of energy-dense snacks, the use of high-fat sandwich fillings, fruit consumption, active transport and physical activity during leisure time). The research population consisted of a large sample of Dutch adolescents (n = 3859; mean age 14.8; 55.2% girls). Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention measures related to the various behaviours clustered more strongly than the behaviours themselves, with correlations ranging from 0.09 to 0.55. The consequences of adopting an energy balance approach are discussed.

Keywords:

• Clustering
• Dietary behaviour
• Physical activity
• Intrapersonal determinants

Acknowledgments

This study is part of the NHF-NRG project (Netherlands Research programme weight Gain prevention), funded by the Netherlands Heart Foundation (2000Z002). We are grateful to Jascha de Nooijer, Catherine Bolman and Hein de Vries for their efforts in the data-gathering process.