The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)

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According to the World Health Organization over 2.8 million Americans die each year as a result of being overweight or obese (2014). While it is commonly accepted that healthy eating can combat obesity, adopting and maintaining healthy eating behavior remains complex (Schwazer et al, 1994). Many theories of health behavior change have been developed in order to identify factors that affect and predict the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors. Among these theories is the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). This theory asserts that behavior is a product of environment, behavior, and person factors, especially cognition. Under the SCT umbrella is Self-efficacy Theory (SET), which claims that one’s beliefs concerning their ability to initiate difficult behavior (such as healthy eating) predicts their likelihood of accomplishing such behaviors. SE for healthy eating is influenced by the personal meaning of healthy eating, which is most commonly conceptualized as the idea of balanced eating from each of the four food groups (Browley & Strachan, 2009). College is commonly associated with weight gain, as shown by the ubiquitous nature of the “freshman fifteen”. According to the CDC college age men have a higher prevalence of hypertension than women (2010). Nutritional studies of college student’s dietary profiles show that college students frequently partake in unhealthy …show more content…

This app, available to both android and apple users, provides consumers with daily calorie intake and nutritional information. The following are tracked using the app: carbohydrates, protein, fiber, sugar, fats, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, and essential vitamins. The app creates daily goals for calorie intake and nutrient consumption that are determined based on a user’s current weight and goal

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