The Journal of

Introduction: The positive effects of milk consumption among young people include increasing bone density, reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and improving body mass index (BMI). However, less than 40% of 20- 29 year-old young adults often receive daily adequate amounts of milk. This study aimed to determine the role of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control to predict milk consumption in students of Yazd University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 385 students of Yazd University of Medical Sciences who were selected by Multi-stage sampling. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire in two sections: demographic information and planned behavior theory constructs which were assessed for validity and reliability. The data analyzed by SPSS18 using descriptive statistics, Spearman Correlation and multivariate regression analysis.
Results: The age range of participants was 18-38 years. From 385 samples participated in the study, 65.2 percent were female and 18.4 percent were male. In this study, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control could explain 14% of variance of intention (p<0.001, F= 20.79, R²=0.14). Also intention and perceived behavioral control could explain 24% of variance of milk consumption (p<0.001, F= 20.79, R²=0.24).
Conclusion: The theory of planned behavior construct is an appropriate theoretical framework for study of milk consumption behavior among college students and can be used to improve students' health.