[Analysis mediating effect of self-efficacy between diet-related cognitive and behavioral]

To investigate the influence of self-efficacy between diet-related cognitive and behavioral by introducing the concept of mediating effect in children and adolescents.

Using multistage cluster sampling, 9 middle and primary school at 1 downtown area and 2 county areas in Guizhou province were selected. Referencing to the foreign-related research and design of the questionnaire, 1398 students were included. The general survey and the correlation analysis about the cognition and self-efficacy of related diet, the favorable behavior related health and the unfavorable behavior related health were conducted. Using the regression analysis and building the modeling to test the mediating effect of self-efficacy of related diet.

The average scores of the cognition, self-efficacy and beneficial health's behavior of related diet were not high. There were significant correlation between the cognition and self-efficacy, the cognition and favorable behavior, the self-efficacy and favorable behavior, the favorable behavior and unfavorable behavior. The correlation coefficients were 0.292, 0.248, 0.228 and -0.102 (P < 0.01). The self-efficacy had significant indirect mediating effect between diet-related cognitive and beneficial health's behavior, the indirect mediating effect was 24.52% of the total effect. Bringing into the structural equation model to test, the indirect effect of self-efficacy (namely mediating effect) was more obvious (beta = 0.39, P < 0.01).

In the actual dietary behavior of children and adolescents, improving the self-efficacy can increase the degree of changing in behavior which acted by the cognition.