IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v22y2025i4p600-d1632622.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Predicting Weight Control Intentions: An Extended Model of Goal-Directed Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Hyun Ju Yun

    (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44610, Republic of Korea)

  • Yumi Jang

    (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44610, Republic of Korea)

  • Jee Hye Lee

    (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44610, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

This study aimed to develop an extended model of goal-directed behavior (MGB) to more thoroughly explain the intention of adults to control body weight. The extended model integrates the crucial constructs and a newly added construct, mental health, as a formative second-order factor in the weight control context into the original MGB. An online survey was conducted with 239 undergraduate students, who responded to the constructs of attitude, subjective norms, anticipated emotions, desire, and mental health. A descriptive analysis was conducted, and the fit of the proposed research model was verified using structural equation modeling. The results showed that the known constructs of attitude, subjective norm, and anticipated emotions were critical predictors of desire in the context of weight control. In addition, desire influenced intention to control weight. Furthermore, mental health had a significant causal relationship with the variables in the extended goal-directed behavior. It broadens the weight control literature by emphasizing the role of affective factors in weight control behavior, expanding the MGB theory with mental health, and providing empirical evidence for an effective weight control intervention program.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyun Ju Yun & Yumi Jang & Jee Hye Lee, 2025. "Predicting Weight Control Intentions: An Extended Model of Goal-Directed Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(4), pages 1-12, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:4:p:600-:d:1632622
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/4/600/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/4/600/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:4:p:600-:d:1632622. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.