Obesity modeling of children based on self-efficacy and maternal body mass index with mediated emotional overeating and the level of physical activity of the child

Introduction: The rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity, which has been a multifactorial problem for the past 20 years, has been attributed not only to genetic factors, but also to cultural environmental factors, including the family environment, eating and activity. This study was conducted with the aim of modeling childrenchr('39')s obesity based on self-efficacy and maternal body mass index with emotional mediation and the level of physical activity of the child. Methods: The research method is based on the purpose, applied and in terms of how to collect data, a description of the type of correlation that was done using the structural equation modeling model or causal modeling. The statistical population of the present study includes 280 students aged 7 to 12 years in Tehran in 1397. In this study, self-efficacy tools, maternal body mass index, emotional overeating and the level of physical activity of the child were used. Results: Based on the results of path analysis, self-efficacy (β = -0.255, P <0.01), maternal body mass index (β = 0.382, P > 0.01), child activity level  (β= -0/240, P> 0.01) and also the childchr('39')s emotional overeating (β = 0.126, P > 0.01) directly predict the childchr('39')s body mass index. Also, the results of the model showed that 71.8% of the variance of the childchr('39')s body mass index, 58.4% of the variance of the childchr('39')s activity level and 22.5% of the childchr('39')s variance of emotional overeating are explained using the variables in the model. Conclusion: Prevention of lifestyle diseases requires attention to the structural and functional dimensions of the causes of life. One of the most important determinants of childrenchr('39')s eating behaviors is the nutritional methods used by parents. This has been shown to affect both parents and children.