The Associations of Exercise and Dietary Knowledge-Attitude Categories with Food Preferences and Activity Preferences -Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS)
Lin Luo, Xiaojin Zeng, Yunxia Cao, Yulong Hu, Shaojing Wen, Kaiqi Tang, Lina Ding

School of Physical Education, Guizhou Normal University, China

Abstract

Objective: To identify possible categories of exercise and dietary knowledge-attitudes reported by Chinese residents and to explore the association of these different categories with residents^ food preferences and activity preferences.
Methods: The study sample was drawn from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (2015). Latent category analysis (LCA) was used to determine the clustering of exercise and dietary knowledge-attitudes among Chinese residents. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associations between categories of exercise and dietary knowledge-attitudes and residents^ food preferences and activity preferences.
Results:The fitted indicators of the LCA model were AIC=44943.747, BIC=45029.679, and entropy value=0.925.The model fit results supported the classification of residents^ exercise and dietary knowledge-attitudes into four categories, including low knowledge-medium attitude,medium knowledge-low attitude, medium knowledge-medium attitude, and medium knowledge-high attitude. These categories differed among residents of different ages, places of residence, and education levels.Compared to the medium knowledge-medium attitude category among residents, the low knowledge-medium attitude, medium knowledge-low attitude, and medium knowledge-high attitude categories showed significant differences in food and activity preferences.
Conclusion: Chinese residents have different exercise and dietary knowledge-attitude categories, with medium knowledge-medium attitude being the most common category. Chinese adults^ exercise and dietary knowledge-attitude categories were significantly associated with their food preferences and activity preferences. More research is needed in the future to explore the potential mechanisms and population differences between exercise and dietary knowledge-attitude categories and food and activity preferences.

Keywords: exercise and dietary knowledge, exercise and dietary attitudes, LCA, food preferences,activity preferences

Topic: Health education in schools and communities