scholarly journals Evaluation of Find Your Fuel: A Point-of-Service Labelling Campaign in a Military Dining Facility

Author(s):  
Julia Carins ◽  
Francisco Crespo Casado ◽  
Sharyn Rundle-Thiele ◽  
Anna Kitunen

Nutrition plays a critical role in health and job performance in physically demanding roles. Studies have shown Australian military personnel do not consume diets suited to their roles. A range of foods are provided in military dining facilities; however, personnel still need to make appropriate choices for healthier eating and to optimise performance. This study explored the effect of a labelling scheme based on military-specific nutrition guidance, over a one-month period. Food choices were evaluated in a pre-post design using plate photography (pre n = 190; post n = 159 plates); with satisfaction and behavioural influences assessed through a survey (pre n = 79; post n = 67). The results indicate the scheme had a small effect on food choice—potato and hot vegetable choices increased post-campaign for the dinner meal. On average, choices were heathier at lunch post-campaign, and less healthy at dinner. Satisfaction with the meal experience was higher after the campaign, and no difference was observed in behavioural influences (e.g., self-efficacy and other perceptions). These results are in alignment with other point-of-service labelling studies showing the limited capacity labelling schemes have on guiding consumer choices. Rather than using point-of-service labelling in isolation, additional individual and/or environmental strategies may be needed to more effectively encourage nutritious food choices by personnel.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Siti Haizam Mohd Zin ◽  
Mohammad Nazri

Extensive research on the relationship between employees' use of English in the workplace and their job performance has revealed that the use of English at work leads to increased job performance and positive interactions among staff. In relation to this, a good command of English among military staff, especially officers, is of great importance to the Armed Forces, as military personnel often serve abroad and need to be proficient in communicating their instructions and orders to a foreign team. Previous research has also shown that self-efficacy is a significant predictor of job performance; however, the role of self-efficacy in learning English language skills has not been widely explored as mediator in the relationship between motivation to learn, intention to share knowledge, and job performance. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a conceptual framework that can be used to improve the understanding of English self-efficacy and its relationship with employees’ motivation to learn, intention to share knowledge, and capability to complete a given task. This framework informs and guides future research that will test the hypothesized relationships. The findings would assist the English Department of the Education Directorate of the Malaysian Armed Forces to design or revise military training syllabi and approaches.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Simons

The development of Identity Behavior Theory (IBT) has been inspired by identity theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the latter of which has been used to assess the relationships between attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norm, behavioral intention, and behavioral action. TPB has been used to predict many behaviors including, but not limited to, food choices, health behaviors, and, more recently, the behaviors of students and educators, including school counselors. TPB, however, lacks validity, and, despite a call to assess identity as part of the model, no changes have been made to TPB for over two decades. To fill this gap, IBT is proposed as a new model that is concerned with the role that identity plays in the prediction of behavioral enaction, the process whereby individuals shape their experiences through planning and successful actions. Behavioral enaction comprises behavioral intention and behavioral action, and, as part of IBT, is assessed along with identity, attitudes, self-efficacy, and assertiveness. In this paper, the TPB and IBT are reviewed, along with how to develop an identity scale. Recommendations for using IBT in research and applied practice are offered.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2491
Author(s):  
Dominika Głąbska ◽  
Dominika Skolmowska ◽  
Dominika Guzek

Food preferences are within the most important determinants of food choices; however, little is known about their complex associations, and no studies were conducted in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents aged 15–20 years within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. The PLACE-19 Study included a random quota sampling conducted in the whole of Poland and covered a population-based sample of 2448 secondary school students. The food preferences were assessed using a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), and the food choices were assessed using a validated Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The statistical analysis comprised k-means clustering and linear regression adjusted for sex and age. Four homogenous clusters of respondents were defined based on the food choice motives—“healthy eaters” (health as the most important determinant of food choices), “hedonists” (convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants), “indifferent consumers” (low significance for all determinants), and “demanding consumers” (high significance for all determinants). The preferences for all food categories differed when comparing between clusters presenting various food choice determinants (p < 0.001). The “healthy eaters” were characterized by the highest preference for vegetables; the “hedonists” preferred meat/fish, dairy, and snacks; the “demanding consumers” had a high preference for all food categories, while “indifferent consumers” had a low preference for all food categories. All preference scores were positively associated with mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, and price (p < 0.05). The results confirmed the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents, as well as allowed adolescents to be clustered into segments to define various needs and motives among the identified segments. For public health purposes, it may be crucial to educate “hedonists,” with a high preference for meat/fish, dairy and snacks, accompanied by convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants of their food choices.


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