Using social cognitive theory to predict leisure time physical activity and dietary behaviors among middle aged Asian Indian women

Background: The objective of the study was to determine to what extent expectations, self-control, and self-efficacy from the social cognitive theory account for variance in leisure time physical activity and selected dietary behaviors of middle aged Asian Indian women residing in United States. Dietary behaviors consisted of fruit and vegetable consumption and number of portions consumed. Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 200 participants in Chicago over a span of one month at a Hindu temple. Valid and reliable subscales were developed for the study. Descriptive statistics, stepwise multiple regressions, and Pearson correlations were used to analyze the data. Results: Women participated in 21.97 minutes of leisure time physical activity and consumed 3.5 servings of fruits and vegetables which is less than the USDA guidelines. Expectations for leisure time physical activity, education and self control were predictive for leisure time physical activity (adjusted R2 = 0.14). Number of years of residence in the U.S was significant for fruit and vegetable consumption. The highly educated Asian Indian women were, the less likely they were to engage in leisure time physical activity. Fruit and vegetable consumption decreased as number of years in the U.S increased. Conclusions: Expectations increase the amount of physical activity Asian Indian women engage in, while the opposite is true for education and self-control. A need exists for future studies exploring expectations and self control with leisure time physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and portion size in this target population.