Development and validation of a social cognitive theory-based survey for elementary nutrition education program

Table 4 Factor analysis for healthy eating behavior and self-efficacy among study participants (the fifth grade students, n = 98)

	Factor 1 ^†	Factor 2 ^†	Factor 3 ^†
Behavior variables
Factor loading*
Eat vegetable	0.76	−0.07	0.09
Eat fruits	0.74	−0.01	0.30
Eat whole grains	0.53	0.11	0.35
Eat lean protein	0.35	0.05	0.65
Eat/drink dairy	0.63	0.32	−0.08
Drink sweetened beverages (soda, punches, etc.)	0.22	0.74	−0.28
Eat French fries or chips	0.03	0.72	0.16
Eat donuts, cookies, brownies, cakes, candies	−0.07	0.65	0.47
Eat breakfast	0.09	0.03	0.67
Variance explained
Total	1.99	1.60	1.41
% of variance	22.07	17.78	15.76
Self-efficacy variables
Factor loading*
Identify a healthy meal	0.68	−0.04	0.21
Choose a healthy meal at home	0.79	0.15	0.01
Choose a healthy meal at school	0.38	0.20	0.62
Choose a healthy meal when your friends do not	0.79	0.05	−0.06
Choose a meal with all five food groups	0.20	0.69	0.25
Plan a meal with at least three different food groups	−0.01	0.82	−0.23
Choose a healthy snack	0.57	0.36	0.08
Eat breakfast every morning	−0.10	−0.12	0.84
Variance explained
Total	2.20	1.35	1.25
% of variance	27.53	16.86	15.60

*Factor loading: Correlation of each behavior or self-efficacy variable with each factor using factor analysis. Higher absolute values represent higher correlations; “1” or “-1” represents the maximal correlation strength.
^†For behavior: Factor 1 = consuming healthy foods, Factor 2 = consuming unhealthy foods; Factor 3 = eating breakfast and consuming lean protein; for self-efficacy, Factor 1 = identifying/choosing healthy meals and snacks, Factor 2 = choosing/planning a meal with different food groups, Factor 3 = eating breakfast every morning and choosing healthy meals at school.

ISSN: 1479-5868