Inherited or Behavior? What Causal Beliefs about Obesity Are Associated with Weight Perceptions and Decisions to Lose Weight in a US Sample?
Table 3
Results of general and group structural equation models predicting participants’ decisions to lose weight.
General , ; CFI = 1.00; RMSEA = .000
Gender , ; CFI = .99; RMSEA = .016
Race/ethnicity , ; CFI = 1.00; RMSEA = .008
Education , ; CFI = 1.00; RMSEA = .000
Male
Female
Hispanic
Black
Asian
White
<HS
HS
Some college
College
WP
MM
.04***
.04*
.04*
.12**
.03
.06
.03*
.05
.01
.02
.06**
Behavior
.02†
.04*
.01
−.02
.12**
.13†
.01
.08*
.03
.01
−.00
Inherited
.07***
.04*
.09***
.13**
−.00
−.09
.08***
.09*
.10***
.06**
.07***
Info-seek
.12***
.09***
.13***
.13*
.20***
.10
.12***
−.03
.14***
.12***
.12***
Perceived health
MM
−.10***
−.08***
−.11***
−.16***
−.09*
−.06
−.08***
−.00
−.02
−.04†
−.08***
Behavior
.04***
.03
.05***
.07†
−.01
−.07
.04**
−.03
.08**
.00
.04*
Inherited
−.03*
.00
−.05***
.02
−.02
−.06
−.03*
−.05
−.00
−.02
−.07***
Info-seek
.05***
.08***
.04*
.15**
.06
−.14†
.06***
−.03†
−.01
.04
.04†
WP
−.22***
−.21***
−.22***
−.25***
−.23***
−.03
−.23***
−.16***
−.19***
−.21***
−.29***
Lose weight
Behavior
.03**
.07***
.01
−.03
.04
.05
.04**
.02
.03
.04*
.02
Inherited
.01
−.01
.02†
−.01
.02
.08
.01
−.03
.04*
.02
.00
Info-seek
.17***
.13***
.19***
.10*
.13**
.13*
.18***
.06
.13***
.19***
.17***
WP
.45***
.44***
.44***
.45***
.54***
.44***
.44***
.47***
.46***
.45***
.44***
Perceived health
.07***
.05**
.09***
.04
.06†
.09
.08***
−.01
.05*
.06***
.07***
WP
.02
.01
.03
.05
.06
.04
.02
.02
.03
.02
.02
Perceived health
.06
.06
.07
.11
.06
.04
.07
.05
.04
.05
.11
Lose Weight
.25
.23
.25
.21
.33
.24
.24
.23
.25
.25
.23
Correlations
MM × Beh
−.03*
−.02
−.03*
.04
−.03
−.08
−.03*
.05
.03
−.03
−.05**
MM × Inh
.10***
.11***
.09***
.01
.13***
.09
.11***
.07†
.07**
.07***
.15***
MM × Info
−.07***
−.06**
−.07***
.07
−.14**
.11
−.07***
.07
−.04
−.03
−.05*
Beh × Info
.05**
.01
.07***
.12*
.09†
.13
.03†
.10
.06†
.04
.02
Inh × Info
.01
.00
.02
−.03
.10†
.03
.01
.08
−.04
.08**
−.02
Inh × Beh
−.02
−.01
−.02
.05
.08†
.19***
−.06***
.07†
.01
−.04†
−.06**
Behavior: obesity due to behavior; inherited: obesity is inherited; MM: mixed messages about weight and health; Beh: behavior; HS: high school; info-seek: information-seeking; info: information-seeking; Inh: inherited; WP: weight perception; CFI: Confirmatory Fit Index; RMSEA: Root Mean Square Error of Approximation. †≤.10;*≤.05; **≤.01; ***≤.001.
