Dietary Stages of Change and Decisional Balance: A Meta-Analytic Review

OBJECTIVE: To examine evidence for properties of the transtheoretical model stages of change-decisional balance relationship as applied to dietary behavior. METHODS: Data extracted from 27 studies of 8 different behaviors were examined. RESULTS: The measurement structure of decisional balance, relative magnitude of the pros and cons within stages, and shifts in the pros and cons across stages were consistent with theory. Across behaviors, the average increase in pros (.82) was greater than the average decrease in cons (.55) from precontemplation to action stages. CONCLUSIONS: The transtheoretical model is useful for understanding the decision-making process involved in dietary behavior change.