Attract the best: The attraction effect as an effective strategy to enhance healthy choices

Every day, people make many food decisions without thinking, repeatedly falling for the unhealthy option instead of the healthy option. While making these mindless decisions, people often rely on heuristics. In this paper, we demonstrate that these heuristics can be exploited to nudge consumers towards healthy alternatives. Specifically, we explore how the attraction effect (i.e., adding a decoy to a choice set) can nudge people to choose a healthy snack. The results of our choice experiment indicate that adding a decoy (i.e., a less attractive food alternative) to a self-control situation (i.e., choosing between a healthy and an unhealthy food alternative) can help people maintain self-control and choose the healthy option. This mixed choice set thus nudges people towards the healthy option. Moreover, our results show differential effects of the attraction effect depending on the (un)healthiness of the products in the choice set. Specifically, the attraction effect is prominent when the choice set consists of unhealthy products only (i.e., the unhealthy choice set), but not in the choice set that consists of only healthy products (i.e., healthy choice set). Importantly, our results indicate when the attraction effect can exploit consumers’ heuristics to help them make better, healthier food choices.

Proximate composition, amino acids, and fatty acids contents of dried shrimp products available in Jashore region, Bangladesh

Dried shrimp has some special advantageous such as long shelf-life, high nutritional content, and ease of transportation considered as a healthy choice of food. The nutritional properties of three common and demandable dried shrimp species available in Jashore, Bangladesh were evaluated. The moisture content of dried Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus Monoceros and Ferapenaeus indicus was determined 19.7±0.40%, 20.5±0.25% and 24.9±0.21%, respectively. The protein content was found 57.46±5.88%, 62.5±1.98%, and 55.5±1.85% in Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus Monoceros, and Ferapenaeus indicus, respectively. The ash and fat content of Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus Monoceros and Ferapenaeus indicus were observed 12.20±0.90% and 1.90±0.15%, 10.20±0.39% and 1.48±0.32%, 8.57±1.43%, and 1.08±0.21%, respectively. Total saturated fatty acids content was found 31.56%, 29.21%, 38.59 in Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus monoceros, and Ferapenaeus indicus, respectively. The polyunsaturated fatty acids was found 42.60%, 42.29%, and 37.80% in Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus monoceros, and Ferapenaeus indicus, respectively. There were nine non-essential and eight essential amino acids found in the dried shrimp products. Glutamine, proline, glycine and alanine were dominated among the non-essential amino acid. Lysine was found a significant amount in the study. All the three dried shrimp products were considered as highly nutritive and less fat value which is considered healthy for the consumers. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. 2021, 7 (2), 138-146

Physical Activity in the Workplace – Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

Background: Engaging in physical activity in the workplace is important to address to combat the negative health outcomes associated with physical inactivity and prolonged sitting.Aim: This study aims to identify efforts that increase light neuromotor physical activity in university workplaces for sedentary employees.Methods: Sub-study 1 examined 15 intervention employees and 10 control employees. MANOVA was used to examine average number of days employees did three movements at work between groups over an eight-week period. Sub-study 2 examined 56 employees and measured three beliefs towards employee intention to do the movements at work. A linear regression examined the significance of the beliefs in predicting employee intention.Results: MANOVA results showed a significant effect between groups on the average number of days employees did three movements over an eight-week period of time, F (3, 21) = 3.16; p < .05. The adjusted R-squared predicting intention from the three beliefs was .343 (p < .001). Participants' belief in how 'easy' doing the movements would be significantly predicted intention scores (β= .467; p < .001) as did the 'popular' belief (β = .371; p < .01). Conclusion: Worksite group physical activity programs can increase the frequency employees get up and move at work. Employee beliefs of how easy or popular a behavior is can significantly predict intention to do neuromotor movements in workplaces.

Maternal and child health: is making ‘healthy choices’ an oxymoron?

The right to exercise choice is fundamental to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it is assumed that all individuals generally enjoy freedom of choice in managing their health. Yet closer examination of this assumption calls into question its credibility and validity, especially with regard to maternal and child health around the globe. We argue that the concept of individual ‘healthy choice,’ particularly as applied to those with inadequate support and who are relatively disempowered, is flawed and unhelpful when considering the wider social, economic, and political forces underlying poor health. We instead propose that the realistic promotion of healthy choices requires acknowledging that agency lies beyond just the individual, and that individuals need to be supported through education and other structural and policy changes that facilitate a genuine ability to make healthy choices.

Parental food choices for children when eating out: attitudes and impact of healthy choice menu labelling based on a hypothetical scenario

Objective: To understand how healthy menu labelling information is used by parents/caregivers and where it fits within predictors of healthy meal choices when eating out. Design: Parents were recruited to complete a 15-min observational, online survey regarding their experiences and hypothetical choices when eating out with their child/ren. Setting: Australia. Participants: Eligible participants had one or more child/ren aged between 2 and 12 years and attended cafes, restaurants, hotels and clubs (CRHC) for lunch or dinner at least four times a year. Of initial respondents (n 1802), 92·5 % provided complete and valid data. Participants were 84·7 % female, ranging from 18 to 68 years old. Results: 98·3 % believed that healthier alternatives should be available for children in CRHC. For general food choices, health was a strong motivator (45·7 %); however, parents reported eating at CRHC mainly for pleasure or a treat (61·2 %) and being driven by children’s taste preferences (85·9 %) when selecting menu items. 59·0 % of orders included a combination of healthy and traditional items. 42·0 % of the sample were influenced by the healthy choice (HC) labelling. Multiple regression revealed that, in addition to some demographic variables, the percent of HC ordered was positively associated with self-reported parent vegetable consumption, making food choices for the children for health reasons, familiarity with HC items and making order choices due to dietary needs and good nutrition. Conclusions: Despite a preference for availability of healthier children’s menu choices in CRHC, menu labelling highlighting healthy options may have limited impact relative to child preferences.