Effect of Social Media on Child Obesity: Application of Structural Equation Modeling with the Taguchi Method

Datis Khajeheian, Amir Mohammad Colabi, Nordiana Binti Ahmad Kharman Shah, Che Wan Jasimah Bt Wan Mohamed Radzi and Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi
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Datis Khajeheian: Department of Media Management, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran 141556311, Iran
Amir Mohammad Colabi: Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 1439813141, Iran
Nordiana Binti Ahmad Kharman Shah: Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Che Wan Jasimah Bt Wan Mohamed Radzi: Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi: Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-22

Abstract: Through public health studies, specifically on child obesity modeling, research scholars have been attempting to identify the factors affecting obesity using suitable statistical techniques. In recent years, regression, structural equation modeling (SEM) and partial least squares (PLS) regression have been the most widely employed statistical modeling techniques in public health studies. The main objective of this study to apply the Taguchi method to introduce a new pattern rather than a model for analyzing the body mass index (BMI) of children as a representative of childhood obesity levels mainly related to social media use. The data analysis includes two main parts. The first part entails selecting significant indicators for the proposed framework by applying SEM for primary and high school students separately. The second part introduces the Taguchi method as a realistic and reliable approach to exploring which combination of significant variables leads to high obesity levels in children. AMOS software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) was applied in the first part of data analysis and MINITAB software (Minitab Inc., State College, PA, USA) was utilized for the Taguchi experimental analysis (second data analysis part). This study will help research scholars view the data and a pattern rather than a model, as a combination of different factor levels for target factor optimization.

Keywords: complex analysis; childhood obesity modeling; public health study; overweight (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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