Discrepancy between Snack Choice Intentions and Behavior
Abstract
Objective
To investigate dietary constructs that affect the discrepancy between intentioned and actual snack choice.
Design
Participants indicated their intentioned snack choice from a set of 4 snacks (2 healthful, 2 unhealthful). One week later, they actually chose a snack from the same set. Within 1 week after the actual choice, they completed a questionnaire that evaluated several dietary constructs.
Setting
Worksite cafeterias.
Participants
Office employees in the Netherlands (N = 585, 65% male, mean age 39.6 years [standard deviation = 9.2], 83% highly educated).
Main Outcome Measures
Snack choice intentions and actual snack choices (healthful vs unhealthful). Demographic and dietary constructs.
Analysis
Student t tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression (P < .05).
Results
Forty-nine percent of the participants (n = 285) intended to choose a healthful snack. Of this group, 27% (n = 78) chose an unhealthful snack instead. Ninety-two percent (n = 276) of the unhealthful intenders did indeed choose an unhealthful snack. None of the dietary constructs significantly predicted the failure to enact a healthful snack choice intention.
Conclusions and Implications
Although a substantial discrepancy between healthful intentions and actual snack choice was demonstrated, the evaluated constructs do not adequately measure the psychological process by which intention is converted into practice. Further studies are required to further investigate this process.
1Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
2Wageningen University and Research Centre, Centre for Innovative Consumer Studies, The Netherlands
Address for correspondence: Pascalle Weijzen, MSc, Wageningen University, Division of Human Nutrition, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands; Phone: +31-317-485897; Fax: +31-317- 317-483342
This study was funded by MyFood, a research program aiming at an innovative, scientific basis for interactive and effective personalized nutrition advice.
ABSTRACT