Why do people high in self-control eat more healthily? Social cognitions as mediators
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Trait self-control and social cognitions both predict dietary behaviors, but whether self-control is associated with more beneficial diet-related cognitions, and the effect of self-control on diet mediated by them, has rarely been examined. PURPOSE: We hypothesized that the effect of self-control on healthy diet is explained by more proximal diet-related social cognitive factors. METHODS: Altogether, 854 military conscripts (age M = 20) completed questionnaires on trait self-control and social cognitive factors (self-efficacy, outcome expectations, risk perceptions, intentions and planning) upon entering the service and a food frequency questionnaire after 8 weeks. RESULTS: Trait self-control was associated with more positive cognitions regarding healthy diet. The mediation hypothesis received support for fruit and vegetable but only partially for fast food consumption. CONCLUSION: Individuals high in trait self-control eat more healthily because they have higher self-efficacy, more positive taste expectations, stronger intentions and more plans, compared to those low in self-control.
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Consumers engaged in health-promoting behaviors, such as healthy eating, exercise higher levels of self-control.
“It has been suggested that consumers engaged in health-promoting behaviors, such as healthy eating, exercise higher levels of self-control (de Ridder et al., 2012;Hagger, Gucciardi, et al., 2019;Hankonen, Kinnunen, Absetz, & Jallinoja, 2013).”
From Relationships between functional food consumption and individual traits and values: A segmentation approach (2021) · cites this paper as Hankonen et al., 2013
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The Multiple Pathways by Which Trait Self-Control Predicts Health Behavior
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- Authors
- Hankonen, N., Kinnunen, M., Absetz, P., & Jallinoja, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Hankonen, Nelli
- Venue
- Annals of Behavioral Medicine
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-10-09
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 242-248
- ISSN
- 0742-5554 (ISSN-L)
- 0883-6612
- 1532-4796
- OpenAlex
- W2006179530
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4
- FWCI
- 6.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of Behavioral Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- trait self-control, healthy eating, social cognition, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, risk perception, eating intentions, planning, fruit and vegetable intake, fast food consumption, mediation, conscripts
- MeSH terms
- Diet, Feeding Behavior, Humans, Male, Models, Theoretical, Personal Satisfaction, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Control, Informal, Social Perception, Health Behavior, Self Efficacy, Young Adult
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