A causal model of eating behaviors among Thai pregnant women working in industrial factories

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Abstract Objective This study aimed to examine the causal model of eating behaviors among pregnant women working in industrial factories. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 participants, attending 4 healthcare centers, at a tertiary care hospital in Chonburi province, Thailand. Data were collected using 7 questionnaires: demographic form, eating behavior questionnaire, perceived benefits of the healthy eating questionnaire, perceived barriers to the healthy eating questionnaire, perceived self-efficacy questionnaire, social support questionnaire, and accessibility to healthy foods questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and path analysis were used for data analysis. Results The participants had relatively high mean scores for eating behaviors. The final model fitted well with the data χ2 = 12.86, df = 10, P = 0.23; χ2/df = 1.29; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.98; goodness-of-fit index (GFI) = 0.98; adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) = 0.95; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.04. Four factors—perceived benefits (β = 0.13, P < 0.05), perceived self-efficacy in healthy eating (β = 0.22, P < 0.001), pregnancy planning (β = 0.28, P < 0.001), and accessibility to healthy foods in the factory (β = 0.12, P < 0.05)—positively affected eating behavior, while only perceived barriers to healthy eating had a negative effect on eating behavior (β = −0.24, P < 0.001). All the above factors explained 27.2% of the variance in eating behaviors. Conclusions Nurses or healthcare providers can apply these findings to create an eating behavior modification program, focusing on pregnancy planning, behavior-specific variables, and interpersonal and situational influence, to promote the nutritional status of pregnant women working in industrial factories.