Predicting Intention To Eat Breakfast Among Adolescents Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior

Purpose To test the effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on intention to eat breakfast. Settings/Participants A sample of 106 primarily Hispanic adolescents aged 12‐ to 14‐years was recruited from an after‐school program in Los Angeles County, CA. Youth were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. One hundred‐six adolescents completed the pre‐intervention questionnaire, 75 completed the post‐intervention questionnaire, Design Participants were assigned by after‐school site to either the treatment group ( n = 57) or control group ( n = 49). Within the treatment group, participants were assigned to groups based on grade to facilitate discussion and to allow for easy group interaction. Each group met for 60 minutes, once weekly, for seven weeks. The curriculum focused on the benefits of eating breakfast and in identifying the influences of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Results Fifty‐five percent of participants were girls and 88% were Hispanic. Attitude and perceived behavioral control were significant in predicting intention to eat breakfast after controlling for gender and age. Subjective norms had no effect in predicting intention. Behavioral belief was significant in predicting attitude toward eating breakfast. Conclusions These results show incorporating interventions based on the TPB may improve breakfast behavior and habits among adolescents.