Perseverative Cognition and Snack Choice: An Online Pilot Investigation

Perseverative cognition (PC), consisting of worry and rumination, has been consistently linked to a variety of poorer health outcomes, namely via the worsening of stress-induced health risk behaviours. However, research into PC and unhealthy food choice, a key health behaviour, still remains relatively unexplored. In the current pilot investigation, 284 participants were recruited to take part in an online food choice paradigm before completing the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and the Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI). As a reduced availability of unhealthy snacks has been shown to improve snack choice, participants were randomly allocated to either an even condition (a 3:3 ratio of ≤99 kcal and ≥199 kcal snacks) or an uneven condition (a 4:2 ratio in favour of ≤99 kcal snacks). It was hypothesized that higher levels of PC may predict greater instances of poorer snack choices across, or even within, this paradigm. Despite an increase availability of lower calorie snacks leading to a healthier snack choice, both state and trait PC measures did not significantly influence snack choice irrespective of this varying availability. Although, marginal trends were found for higher state PC and higher calorie crisp selections. The current pilot therefore adds to the growing literature advocating for the use of behavioural economic tactics to engender healthier food choices, yet further work is needed to unpick the mediating role of PC (and its components) in snack consumption paradigms.

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Perceptual salience influences food choices independently of health and taste preferences

Cognitive Research Principles and Implications ◽

10.1186/s41235-019-0203-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jane Dai ◽

Jeremy Cone ◽

Jeff Moher

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Load ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Food Choice ◽

Time Pressure ◽

Taste Preference ◽

Food Choices ◽

Health Issues ◽

Perceptual Salience ◽

Choice Tests

Abstract Background Making decisions about food is a critical part of everyday life and a principal concern for a number of public health issues. Yet, the mechanisms involved in how people decide what to eat are not yet fully understood. Here, we examined the role of visual attention in healthy eating intentions and choices. We conducted two-alternative forced choice tests of competing food stimuli that paired healthy and unhealthy foods that varied in taste preference. We manipulated their perceptual salience such that, in some cases, one food item was more perceptually salient than the other. In addition, we manipulated the cognitive load and time pressure to test the generalizability of the salience effect. Results Manipulating salience had a powerful effect on choice in all situations; even when an unhealthy but tastier food was presented as an alternative, healthy food options were selected more often when they were perceptually salient. Moreover, in a second experiment, food choices on one trial impacted food choices on subsequent trials; when a participant chose the healthy option, they were more likely to choose a healthy option again on the next trial. Furthermore, robust effects of salience on food choice were observed across situations of high cognitive load and time pressure. Conclusions These results have implications both for understanding the mechanisms of food-related decision-making and for implementing interventions that might make it easier for people to make healthy eating choices.

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Marketing and family-related factors affecting food label use: the mediating role of consumer knowledge

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-07-2021-0839 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Daleen Van der Merwe ◽

Hanli de Beer ◽

Marli Nel ◽

Susanna M. Ellis

Keyword(s):

Food Choices ◽

Healthy Food ◽

Objective Knowledge ◽

Food Label ◽

Healthy Foods ◽

Related Factors ◽

Content Type ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Relationship

PurposeThis study investigated the influence of marketing- and family-related factors on consumers' in-store usage of different types of food label information. Furthermore, the authors determined the mediating role of consumers' knowledge about healthy foods between these factors and their label consultation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey among 223 purposively selected South African working female consumers via social media. Subjective and objective knowledge about healthy foods, the importance of marketing- and family-related factors and the extent of food label usage were determined. Structural equation modelling served to test the mediating effect of knowledge in the relationship of the marketing and family-related factors with food label usage.FindingsMarketing-related factors demonstrated a strong direct effect on food label usage. Subjective knowledge about healthy foods mediated the relationship between family members' dietary needs and food label usage. However, objective knowledge was not a mediator.Practical implicationsRespondents' firm reliance on marketing-related factors (instead of knowledge) during food label usage is not in the best interest of consumers' healthy food choices. Healthy food choices based on factual knowledge rather than marketing efforts are necessary to establish long-term healthy food habits, hence the need for retailers' response in supplying healthier food options. Role players in consumer education should focus on increasing consumers' healthy food knowledge.Originality/valueIn the context of rising awareness of public health concerns, healthy food choice among consumers is essential. This study contributes to the complexity of consumers' need to make healthy food choices within an economic-driven marketing environment.

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When virtue is not an option: Decision making in unhealthy food choices

Nutrition and Health ◽

10.1177/0260106019850997 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 209-216

Author(s):

Lauren Trabold Apadula ◽

Chrissy M Martins

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Consumer Preference ◽

Food Choices ◽

Selection Strategy ◽

Unhealthy Food ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Relative Preference ◽

Diet Versus ◽

Health Objectives

Background: Health conscious consumers often make choices from constrained sets of food options, such as a restaurant menu, in which healthy options may not be present. Aim: The aim of this research was to examine how different decision strategies, such as selection versus rejection, influence the food option chosen when a choice set is restricted to unhealthy options. The mediating role of anticipated guilt was also explored. Methods: An experiment was conducted using a hypothetical choice scenario, in which participants were randomly assigned to a decision making strategy (select versus reject), health objective (diet versus indulge), and relative preference for the options (choice between two preferred options versus one preferred and one non-preferred option) was manipulated. Results: When using a selection strategy, consumers are more likely to choose their most preferred option, regardless of their health objectives, but when using a rejection strategy, health conscious consumers are more likely to avoid their most preferred option and consume a lesser liked alternative. Further, this effect is driven by reduced feelings of guilt. Important boundary conditions include consumer preference for the food options, as health conscious consumers will not reject their favorite option if they do not like the alternative. Conclusions: Decision making strategy influences health conscious consumers’ choices between unhealthy food options.

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Day-to-day relations between stress and sleep and the mediating role of perseverative cognition

Sleep Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.sleep.2016.06.020 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 71-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Michelle Van Laethem ◽

Debby G.J. Beckers ◽

Madelon L.M. van Hooff ◽

Ap Dijksterhuis ◽

Sabine A.E. Geurts

Keyword(s):

Mediating Role ◽

Perseverative Cognition

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The dynamics of self-control: within-participant modeling of binary food choices and underlying decision processes as a function of restrained eating

Psychological Research ◽

10.1007/s00426-019-01185-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 84 (7) ◽

pp. 1777-1788 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Claudio Georgii ◽

Michael Schulte-Mecklenbeck ◽

Anna Richard ◽

Zoé Van Dyck ◽

Jens Blechert

Keyword(s):

Food Choice ◽

Food Choices ◽

Self Control ◽

Restrained Eating ◽

Restrained Eaters ◽

Process Measures ◽

Common Assumption ◽

Independent Replication ◽

High Calorie

Abstract Successful self-control during food choice might require inhibition of impulses to avoid indulging in tempting but calorie-dense foods, and this might particularly apply to individuals restraining their food intake. Adopting a novel within-participant modeling approach, we tested 62 females during a mouse-tracking based binary food choice task. Subsequent ratings of foods on palatability, healthiness, and calorie density were modeled as predictors for both decision outcome (choice) and decision process (measures of self-control conflict) while considering the moderating role of restrained eating. Results revealed that individuals higher on restrained eating were less likely to choose more high-calorie foods and showed less self-control conflict when choosing healthier foods. The latter finding is in contrast with the common assumption of self-control as requiring effortful and conscious inhibition of temptation impulses. Interestingly, restrained eaters rated healthy and low-calorie foods as more palatable than individuals with lower restrained eating scores, both in the main experiment and an independent replication study, hinting at an automatic and rather effortless mechanism of self-control (palatability shift) that obviates effortful inhibition of temptation impulses.

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The Role of Sociocognitive Mediators in the Beliefs-Intentions Relationship: Snacking Behavior

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2010.38.5.711 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 711-720 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Akram Karimi Shahanjarini ◽

Arash Rashidian ◽

Reza Majdzadeh ◽

Nasrin Omidvar ◽

Davood Shojaeezadeh

Keyword(s):

Predictive Power ◽

Discriminant Validity ◽

Behavioral Control ◽

Control Beliefs ◽

Perceived Behavioral Control ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

And Control ◽

Unhealthy Snacks

The mediating role of the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) constructs in the belief constructs-intention relationship is examined in this study. We investigated the mediation ability of TPB constructs on Iranian adolescents' intentions to consume unhealthy snacks. A sample of 739 adolescents completed questionnaires assessing behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intentions. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that measures had discriminant validity. Analysis showed that attitudes and PBC only partially mediate the effect of behavioral and power beliefs, on intention. This finding suggests that the predictive power of TPB will increase with the inclusion of belief components.

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Cafeteria Online: Nudges for Healthier Food Choices in a University Cafeteria—A Randomized Online Experiment

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182412924 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (24) ◽

pp. 12924

Author(s):

Christine Kawa ◽

Patrizia M. Ianiro-Dahm ◽

Jan F. H. Nijhuis ◽

Wim H. Gijselaers

Keyword(s):

Body Shape ◽

Intervention Strategy ◽

Food Choices ◽

Healthy Food ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Thin Body ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Three Body

Many people do not consume as much healthy food as recommended. Nudging has been identified as a promising intervention strategy to increase the consumption of healthy food. The present study analyzed the effects of three body shape nudges (thin, thick, or Giacometti artwork) on food ordering and assessed the mediating role of being aware of the nudge. Students (686) and employees (218) of a German university participated in an online experimental study. After randomization, participants visited a realistic online cafeteria and composed a meal for themselves. Under experimental conditions, participants were exposed to one out of three nudges while choosing dishes: (1) thin body shape, (2) thick body shape, and (3) the Giacometti artwork nudge. The Giacometti nudge resulted in more orders for salad among employees. The thin and thick body shape nudges did not change dish orders. Awareness of the nudge mediated the numbers of calories ordered when using the Giacometti or thin body shape nudges. These findings provide useful insights for health interventions in occupational and public health sectors using nudges. Our study contributes to the research on the Giacometti nudge by showing its effectiveness when participants are aware (it is effective under conditions where it is consciously perceived).

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Subjective and Perseverative Cognition Mediate the Relationship Between Sleep and Work Impairment

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.434 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 114-114

Author(s):

Christina Mu ◽

Brent Small ◽

Soomi Lee

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Multilevel Mediation ◽

Work Impairment ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Perseverative Cognition ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

The Relationship

Abstract The study examined the mediating role of subjective and perseverative cognition on sleep and work impairment. Sixty nurses completed a background survey and 14-days of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) and sleep actigraphy. Each day, participants evaluated their subjective cognition (mental sharpness, memory, processing speed), perseverative cognition (rumination) and work impairment (how much did you cut back on normal paid work, how much did the quality of your work suffer). Multiple sleep characteristics were measured by EMA and actigraphy. Multilevel mediation models adjusted for sociodemographics and work shift. At the between-person and within-person levels, there were mediated associations of sleep quality and sufficiency (but not actigraphy-measured sleep) with work impairment through subjective and perseverative cognition. Better sleep quality or higher sleep sufficiency were associated with better subjective and perseverative cognition, which, in turn, were associated with less work impairment.

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Role of Social Networks in Maternal Food Choice for Children Ages 1 to 5 Years Old in Rural Mexico

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa053_102 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 897-897

Author(s):

Ligia Reyes ◽

Edward Frongillo ◽

Christine Blake ◽

Spencer Moore ◽

Wendy Gonzalez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

South Carolina ◽

Food Choice ◽

Social Space ◽

Comparative Method ◽

Food Choices ◽

Child Feeding ◽

Vital Functions ◽

Rural Mexico

Abstract Objectives To understand the role of mothers’ social networks in the food choices that mothers make for their children ages 1 to 5 years old in rural Mexico. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 46 participants from 3 rural communities between November and December 2016. The interviews inquired about participants’ child-feeding practices, personal and local beliefs about child feeding, and individuals with whom participants discussed food. All interviews were in Spanish, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, verified for quality, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results The networks that participants described in relation to food choice were largely interconnected and embedded within the social space of their communities. These networks were household family, non-household family, community, children's initial school, and health and pantry personnel. Participants described the functions of each network for the feeding of their children. These functions ranged from directly intervening on feeding behavior in the most proximal network, i.e., household family, to providing formal feeding and nutritional guidance in the most peripheral network, i.e., health and pantry personnel. Some networks had unique functions that no other network had, while some functions were shared across networks. Across the networks, professionals, participants’ mothers and mothers-in-law, community senior women, and other women with children emerged as trusted figures whom mothers would turn to for child-feeding advice. Participants were in constant interaction with their social networks and rarely turned to only one advisor. Participants expressed striking a balance between the input received, what they make of it, and eventually weighing their children's responses, resources available, and situations in which interactions occur and food choice is made for children. Conclusions Social networks have vital functions in establishing norms for food choices made for children. The multiplicity of child-feeding advisors may be especially important in strategies that seek to promote healthy food choices for children during developmental years to foster healthy eating patterns. Funding Sources SPARC Graduate Research Grant from University of South Carolina.

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