Time orientation and eating behavior: Unhealthy eaters consider immediate consequences, while healthy eaters focus on future health

Time-restricted feeding can increase food-related impulsivity: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

Although an increasing number of studies show that time-restricted feeding may improve metabolic health, studies examining the behavioral effects of this eating pattern are limited. This study examined the effect of time-restricted feeding on impulsivity in adults.

METHODS

Thirty adults aged 25-41 years participated in this randomized controlled trial. The intervention group followed time-restricted feeding for 4 weeks and there was no energy restriction in the intervention group (n = 15) or control group (n = 15). Impulsivity was assessed before and after the intervention with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and the Go/NoGo task.

RESULTS

The compliance rate (the percentage of days when participants had a feeding time of ≤ 8 hours/day) of the intervention group to the time-restricted feeding pattern was 92.38 ± 4.24%. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 total score of the intervention group increased from 55.53 ± 6.37 to 59.47 ± 7.67 (p = 0.02). During the Go/NoGo task, an indicator of inhibitory control, the reaction time to food and non-food stimuli was significantly shortened in the intervention group (respectively; p = 0.009, p = 0.01). In the control group, no significant change was detected in impulsivity determined by the BIS-11 or Go/NoGo task.

DISCUSSION

This study showed that although time-restricted feeding may reduce body weight, it can lead to increased impulsivity and impaired inhibitory control.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04960969.

Impact of college-level courses on self-control: Comparison between a self-management course and a physical exercise course

We examined the relative effectiveness of a college-level self-management (SM) course and a physical exercise (PE) course on improving self-control. In Study 1, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and general regulatory behavior questionnaire were administered before and after the courses to students from an SM course (experimental group 1; n = 87), a PE course (experimental group 2; n = 22), and a liberal arts course (control group; n = 28). There was a significant decrease in impulsivity and improvement in daily self-control behaviors in the SM group only. In Study 2, the same tests were administered before, after, and 3 months after the courses to the SM (n = 47) and PE groups (n = 20). Impulsivity and daily self-control behaviors were improved only in the SM group and maintained after 3 months. Thus, self-control can be improved and stabilized by teaching and directing self-control behaviors among college students.

Effects of Risk and Time Preferences on Diet Quality: Empirical Evidence from Rural Madagascar

Malnutrition is a major concern in Madagascar. Eating a wide variety of nutritious food is necessary because Malagasy diets heavily rely on rice consumption. This study explored the barriers to dietary change towards diversification from the perspective of consumer behaviour. We analysed the impact of risk and time preferences on dietary diversity using economic experiments conducted with 539 rural lowland rice farmers in Central Highlands in Madagascar. The results showed that risk-averse or impatient individuals were more likely to have lower Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), indicating poorer diet quality. Risk-averse people may not want to add different foods to meals as they perceive unfamiliar food as a 'risk'; people who prefer immediate gratification may fail to invest in nutritious diets now to achieve better health in the future. Additionally, higher HDDS was observed among households with a female head who earned off-farm income and who had frequent market visits. These findings contribute to explaining the limited shift in nutritional transition in Madagascar and provide useful insights into nutritional policies promoting healthier food choices. Depending on the preferences, more focused support such as nutritional education, financial support, market development, and pre-commitment mechanisms could be provided to reward long-term nutritional benefits.

Intertemporal Decision-Making, Diabetes Self-Management, and Health Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to identify the independent factors associated with intertemporal decision-making and to examine its relationship with diabetes self-management behaviors, glucose variability, and diabetes complications in patients with diabetes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling (n = 368) was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) between November 2021 and April 2023. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires and retrieval of clinical information from medical records. Intertemporal decision-making was operationalized using delay discounting. The outcome variables included diabetes self-management behaviors, A1C, diabetic retinopathy, and carotid artery disease. Hierarchical regression and binary logistic regression models were used to explore the relationships among intertemporal decision-making, self-management, A1C, and carotid artery disease.

RESULTS

The analyses showed that intertemporal decision-making was negatively associated with physical activity and carotid artery disease, in which individuals with lower delay discounting tended to have healthier physical activity; when the delay discounting rate increased 1 unit, the risk of the carotid artery disease increased by 39.8%.

CONCLUSIONS

The study reveals that a lower delay discounting can promote healthier physical activity and decrease the incidence of carotid artery disease. These results offer new knowledge for researchers and clinicians to consider intertemporal decision-making in developing interventional programs to improve physical activity and reduce carotid artery complication in patients with T2DM when providing care.

Investigating psychological mechanisms of self-controlled decisions for food and leisure activity

Maintaining a healthy body weight requires balancing energy intake and expenditure. While previous research investigated energy input or food decisions, little is known about energy output or leisure activity decisions. By combining experimental decision-making paradigms and computational approaches, we investigated the psychological mechanisms of self-controlled food and leisure activity decisions through the effects of reward-oriented and health-oriented preferences as well as body weight status, stress, and coping. Based on individual's responses, the self-controlled food and leisure activity choices were indexed as the proportions of "no" unhealthy but tasty (or enjoyable) (inhibitory self-control against short-term pleasure) and "yes" healthy but not tasty (or not enjoyable) responses (initiatory self-control for long-term health benefits). The successful self-control decisions for food and leisure activity were positively correlated with each other, r = 22, p < .01. In beta regression analyses, the successful self-controlled food decisions decreased as the taste-oriented process increased, β = - 0.50, z = -2.99, p < .005, and increased as the health-oriented process increased, β = 1.57, z = 4.68, p < .001. Similarly, the successful self-controlled leisure activity decisions decreased as the enjoyment-oriented process increased, β = - 0.79, z = -5.31, p < .001, and increased as the health-oriented process increased, β = 0.66, z = 2.19, p < .05. The effects of the other factors were not significant. Overall, our findings demonstrated the mutual interrelationship between food and leisure activity decision-making and suggest that encouraging health-oriented processes may benefit both energy input and expenditure domains and improve self-controlled choices.

Assistive products to support daily time management of older persons with dementia in India: experiences and views of informal caregivers and occupational therapists

PURPOSE

The present study aimed to understand how informal caregivers and occupational therapists support daily time management (DTM) of older persons with dementia (PwD) and their views regarding assistive products for DTM, i.e., time management products (TMPs).

METHODS

The study involved a qualitative descriptive approach rooted in principles of naturalistic inquiry. Twelve caregivers of PwD and eight occupational therapists were interviewed. Conventional content analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Findings are described in three categories. The first category "current strategies to support DTM" described the low-tech strategies used for specific cognitive functions. The second category "factors influencing DTM and TMP" entailed factors related to the PwD (especially premorbid time management), the caregiver (multiple caregivers, attitude towards technology), the occupational therapist (impairment-oriented practice, limited resources and training in DTM) and the context (attitude towards time, poor awareness and knowledge of dementia, an expectation of recovery, negative societal attitudes towards devices, affordability/access). The third category "expectations from TMP" described the participants' expectations regarding device-related features (low-cost, easy to use, portable, low maintenance, customisable and useable across the disease continuum) and support for device use (maintenance, caregiver education).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides contextually relevant recommendations and strategies to inform the provision, acceptance and adherence to DTM interventions and guide the development and prescription of indigenous TMP for PwD in India. Implications for rehabilitationAdoption of time management products (TMPs) for people with dementia in India requires an understanding of contextual factors, especially culturally influenced attitudes of persons with dementia and their family members towards time, assistive products and elders.Contextually relevant approaches and strategies are suggested to guide the provision of daily time management (DTM) interventions including TMPs for people with dementia and their families in India.It is imperative to assess the relevance, acceptance and feasibility of available TMPs for people with dementia and their families living in India and develop contextually relevant indigenous products.Occupational therapists working with people with dementia and their families would benefit from more opportunities for training and access to resources (including contextually relevant standardized assessments) to implement DTM interventions.

Temporal Distance, Message Framing, and Consideration of Future Consequences: Parents' Willingness to Vaccinate Children Aged 5-11 Against COVID-19

Based on the construal level theory (CLT), this experiment employed a 2 (message framing: gain vs. loss) × 2 (temporal framing: proximal vs. distal) × 2 (consideration of future consequences: low vs. high) between-subjects factorial design. Parents (N = 409) of 5- to 11-year-old children in the United States from a pool of candidates pre-screened by Qualtrics participated in this study. Results indicated that parents with high CFC-Future were more receptive to messages advocating getting their children vaccinated against COVID-19. Parents with high CFC-Future reported higher risk perception in response to the proximal messages compared to the distal messages. For parents focusing on more distant outcomes, proximal messages generated more positive attitude and greater intention compared to distal messages in the loss-framed condition. The difference was not significant in the gain-framed condition. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. Limitations and directions for future research were outlined.

The association between consideration of future consequences and food intake is mediated by food choice motives in a French adult population

OBJECTIVES

Consideration of future consequences (CFC) distinguishes individuals who adopt behaviours based on immediate needs and concerns from individuals who consider the future consequences of their behaviours. We aimed to assess the association between CFC and diet, and testing the mediating role of food choice motives on this relationship.

DESIGN

Individuals (aged ≥ 18 years) completed the CFC-12 questionnaire in 2014, at least three 24-h dietary records, and a food choice motive questionnaire. A multiple mediator analysis allowed to assess the mediating effect of food choice motives on the cross-sectional association between CFC and diet, adjusted for socio-demographic factors.

SETTING

Data from the NutriNet-Santé cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

27 330 participants.

RESULTS

CFC was associated with all food choice motives (P < 0·001), with the strongest positive associations for avoidance for environmental reasons, absence of contaminants and health motives and the strongest negative associations for innovation and convenience. Positive total effects were found between CFC and the consumption of healthy food groups (fruits and vegetables, whole-grain foods, legumes), and negative total effects for alcohol, meat and poultry and processed meat (P < 0·001). CFC was positively associated with diet quality (P < 0·001). Across food groups, major mediators of these relationships were higher health (8·4-32·6%), higher environmental (13·7-22·1 %) and lower innovation (7·3-25·1 %) concerns.

CONCLUSIONS

CFC was associated with healthier dietary intake, essentially mediated by a greater motivation of future-oriented participants for self-centred and altruistic outcomes, including health and environment. Focusing on the awareness of future benefits in public health interventions might lead to healthier dietary behaviours.

Time Perspective, Dietary Behavior, and Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND

Dietary behavior is a key component in the self-management of patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), as it is essential for glycemic control and preventing diabetic complications. However, it is challenging for patients with diabetes to make sustainable dietary behavior changes and achieve long-term optimal glycemic control.

OBJECTIVES

Dietary behavior changes involve present efforts to achieve future benefits. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among time perspective, dietary behaviors, and health outcomes in patients with T2DM. Based on the temporal self-regulation theory and previous research, the secondary aim of the study was to explore how time perspective influences dietary behaviors.

METHODS

Following convenient sampling ( N = 329), a cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with T2DM between November 2021 and October 2022. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires and the retrieval of clinical information from medical records. Hierarchical regression and path analysis were used to explore the relationships among study variables.

RESULTS

Our analyses showed that a future-oriented time perspective was associated with better dietary behavior but was not significantly related to hemoglobin A1c. Hierarchical regression analysis also demonstrated that having a more future-oriented time perspective was associated with healthier dietary behavior after controlling covariates. Based on the theory and path analysis, there was an indirect effect of future time perspective on dietary behavior through self-control capacity and intention.

DISCUSSION

The study reveals that a future-oriented time perspective can promote healthier dietary behavior when providing care for patients with T2DM. As a theoretical framework, the temporal self-regulation theory offers references for researchers and clinicians to take into consideration patients' time perspectives and their intentions and self-control capacity when developing interventional programs to improve dietary behaviors.

Excluded and myopic: Social exclusion increases temporal discounting

Social exclusion is a painful yet ubiquitous experience that modulates affect, behavior, and cognition. Decision-making is an essential cognitive ability that some forms of it are altered following social exclusion. However, how intertemporal decision-making is influenced by social exclusion is scarcely studied. Here, using Future Life Alone paradigm we demonstrated that experiencing social exclusion increases temporal discounting. We further tested whether the increased temporal discounting is mediated by either time perception or risk-taking. Our results revealed that although time perception is influenced by social exclusion, neither time perception nor risk-taking mediated the changes in temporal discounting. Our results are providing further evidence corroborating that social exclusion evokes cognitive deconstruction and therefore alters temporal discounting.

Association between Hope for the Future and Academic Performance in Adolescents: Results from the K-CHILD Study

In Japan, having hope for the future is emphasized in school. This study aimed to examine the association between hope for the future and academic performance among Japanese adolescents. Data were taken from the population-based Kochi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (K-CHILD) study conducted in 2016. Participants included 3477 adolescents in the eighth grade (i.e., 13-14 years old) in Kochi Prefecture. Information on hope for the future, self-rated academic performance, and time used for studying or playing was provided by the adolescents via a questionnaire. The question on resilience was answered by their caregivers. Propensity-score matching was applied for the allocation of hope for the future. Overall, 2283 adolescents (65.6%) had some form of hope for the future. Adolescents having hope for the future showed a higher self-rated academic performance (β = 0.21, 95% confidence interval (Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.10 to 0.32)), spent more time studying except in class (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.37 to 2.61), read more books (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.75), and had a higher score of resilience (β = 1.48, 95% CI = 0.98 to 1.98), while the time to watch TV or DVDs was not different (p = 0.61). Our results highlight the importance of encouraging adolescents to have hope for the future to promote academic performance.

Impact of Self-Affirmation on Responses to Health Warning Messages: Does Consideration of Future Consequences Matter?

Self-affirmation theory has inspired numerous studies that have tried to understand the effects of self-affirmation on defensive processing of threatening health messages and subsequent behavior. Despite the overall positive effects of self-affirmation, psychological processes through which self-affirmation exerts such impact remain unclear. We examined Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) as a potential moderator of the effects of self-affirmation on responses to graphic cigarette warning warnings, in an attempt to shed light on the psychological processes. We conducted an experimental study in which 925 African American smokers were instructed to self-affirm (or not) prior to viewing graphic cigarette warning labels. We found that smokers with stronger present time orientation (PTO) experienced higher defensive responses as measured by anger, perceived message manipulation, and message derogation, after viewing graphic cigarette warning labels; whereas smokers with stronger future time orientation (FTO) reported less message derogation. PTO interacted with self-affirmation in predicting defensive processing measures, such that self-affirmation reduced message derogation at lower levels of PTO and increased message derogation and perceived message manipulation at higher levels of PTO. Self-affirmation also had a conditional indirect effect on smoking intentions and intention to quit smoking through measures of defensive processing. We discuss implications of our study.

Consideration of future consequences and self-control mediate the impact of time perspectives on self-rated health and engagement in healthy lifestyles among young adults

The study investigated how different time perspectives predict people's self-rated health and engagement in healthy lifestyles, and explored the mediating effects of consideration of future consequences (CFC) and self-control as the underlying mechanisms. Young adults (n = 299, M age = 23.65, ranges from 18 to 30 years old) completed measures of time perspectives, CFC, self-control and engagement in daily health behaviors. Generalized linear regression models showed that Past-Negative time perspective negatively predicted sleep quality; Future time perspective negatively predicted unhealthy eating patterns; Future time perspective was the only protective factor of risky drinking, while both Past-Positive and Future time perspective were protective factors of smoking. Mediation analyses showed that CFC-Immediate and self-control mediated the relationship between Future time perspective and eating patterns. Results suggested that consideration of future consequences and self-control partially explained how time perspectives affect engagement in healthy lifestyles among young Chinese adults. Implications of the current research for promoting healthy living and directions for future research are discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03135-6.

What’s important to you? Socioeconomic inequalities in the perceived importance of health compared to other life domains

Background

Pressing issues, like financial concerns, may outweigh the importance people attach to health. This study tested whether health, compared to other life domains, was considered more important by people in high versus low socioeconomic positions, with future focus and financial strain as potential explanatory factors.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2019 among N=1,330 Dutch adults. Participants rated the importance of two health-related domains (not being ill, living a long life) and seven other life domains (e.g., work, family) on a five-point scale. A latent class analysis grouped participants in classes with similar patterns of importance ratings. Differences in class membership according to socioeconomic position (indicated by income and education) were examined using structural equation modelling, with future focus and financial strain as mediators.

Results

Three classes were identified, which were defined as: neutralists, who found all domains neutral or unimportant (3.5% of the sample); hedonists, who found most domains important except living a long life, work, and religion (36.2%); and maximalists, who found nearly all domains important, including both health domains (60.3%). Of the neutralists, 38% considered not being ill important, and 30% considered living a long life important. For hedonists, this was 92% and 39%, respectively, and for maximalists this was 99% and 87%, respectively. Compared to belonging to the maximalists class, a low income predicted belonging to the neutralists, and a higher educational level and unemployment predicted belonging to the hedonists. No mediation pathways via future focus or financial strain were found.

Conclusions

Lower income groups were less likely to consider not being ill important. Those without paid employment and those with a higher educational level were less likely to consider living a long life important. Neither future focus nor financial strain explained these inequalities. Future research should investigate socioeconomic differences in conceptualisations of health, and if inequalities in the perceived importance of health are associated with inequalities in health. To support individuals dealing with challenging circumstances in daily life, health-promoting interventions could align to the life domains perceived important to reach their target group and to prevent widening socioeconomic health inequalities.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12508-2.

Age, time orientation and risk perception are major determinants of discretionary salt usage

The present work explored the relationship between discretionary salt usage and personal characteristics, using boosted regression trees (BRT). Specifically, the focus was on how socio-demographic characteristics and personality traits linked to risk perception and time orientation impact on discretionary salt consumption patterns. For this purpose, an online cross-sectional survey with a convenience sample of 498 Uruguayan participants was carried out. Participants completed the consideration of future consequences (CFC) scale adapted for eating behaviour, a short survey about discretionary salt consumption patterns and indicated their degree of agreement with statements measuring perceived risk of sodium consumption. Finally, socio-demographic data were collected. BRT were applied to build predictive models that related discretionary salt usage to socio-demographic characteristics, the two factors of the CFC-Food scale (consideration of the future and consideration of the immediate consequences of eating behaviour), and the two factors of the perceived risk of sodium consumption scale (severity of perceived risks and risk compensation). Age, time orientation and perceived risk were the most relevant explanatory variables for discretionary salt usage. Older people had a lower likelihood of adding salt to food, either at home or when eating out. In addition, individuals who tend to be present rather than future oriented, as well as those with low perception of risk severity and susceptibility were more likely to add salt to foods. Results from the present work suggest that communication campaigns to reduce discretionary salt intake should mainly focus on stressing the short-term health benefits of reducing sodium intake and raising perceived susceptibility.

A Change of Scenery: Does Exposure to Images of Nature Affect Delay Discounting and Food Desirability?

Previous research suggests that exposure to nature may reduce delay discounting (the tendency to discount larger future gains in favor of smaller immediate rewards) and thereby facilitate healthier dietary intake. This pre-registered study examined the impact of online exposure to images of natural scenes on delay discounting and food preferences. It was predicted that exposure to images of natural scenes (vs. images of urban scenes) would be associated with: (i) lower delay discounting; (ii) higher desirability for fruits and vegetables (and lower desirability for more energy-dense foods); and (iii) delay discounting would mediate the effect of nature-image exposure on food desirability. Adult participants (N = 109) were recruited to an online between-subjects experiment in which they viewed a timed sequence of six images either showing natural landscape scenes or urban scenes. They then completed measures of mood, delay discounting (using a five-trial hypothetical monetary discounting task) and rated their momentary desire to eat four fruits and vegetables (F&V), and four energy-dense foods. There was no statistically significant effect of experimental condition (natural vs. urban image exposure) on delay discounting or food desirability. Bayes factors supported the null hypothesis for discounting (BF₀₁ = 4.89), and energy-dense food desirability (BF₀₁ = 7.21), but provided no strong evidence for either hypothesis for F&V desirability (BF₀₁ = 0.78). These findings indicate that brief online exposure to images of nature does not affect momentary impulsivity or energy-dense food preference, whereas for preference for less-energy dense foods, the evidence was inconclusive.

The relationship between dietary fat intake, impulsive choice, and metabolic health

Unhealthful foods are convenient, ubiquitous, and inexpensive. Overconsumption of unhealthful foods can result in disease states such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. In addition to the physiological consequences of unhealthful foods, research in rats has shown that diets high in processed fat and sugar induce impulsive choice behavior. Research in humans has demonstrated a link between metabolic health and impulsive choice, but most investigations have not included diet. We investigated how dietary fat intake interacts with body fat percentage, fasting glucose, insulin response, and systemic inflammation levels to predict impulsive choices in humans. Participants were split into either Control (<35% calories from fat) or High-Fat (≥40% calories from fat) groups based on self-reported dietary intake, completed an impulsive choice task, and underwent testing to determine their body fat, glucose, insulin response, and inflammation levels. High-fat diets were not predictive of impulsive choices, but added sugar was predictive. Body fat percentage was associated with impulsive choices only in the group who reported consuming high-fat diets. In addition, fasting glucose was associated with impulsive choices in the control group. Therefore, metabolic health and dietary fat intake interacted to predict impulsive choices. These findings indicate that knowledge of dietary patterns coupled with metabolic health markers may help us better understand impulsive choices, thereby improving our ability to target individuals who could benefit from interventions to reduce impulsive choice behavior, with the goal of promoting more self-controlled food choices.

Temporal discounting as a candidate behavioral marker of obesity

Although obesity is a result of processes operating at multiple levels, most forms result from decision-making behavior. The aim of this review was to examine the candidacy of temporal discounting (TD) (i.e. the reduction in the value of a reinforcer as a function of the delay to its receipt) as a behavioral marker of obesity. For this purpose, we assessed whether TD has the ability to: identify risk for obesity development, diagnose obesity, track obesity progression, predict treatment prognosis/outcomes, and measure treatment effectiveness. Three databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were searched using a combination of terms related to TD and obesity. A total of 153 papers were reviewed. Several areas show strong evidence of TD's predictive utility as a behavioral marker of obesity (e.g., distinguishing obese from non obese). However, other areas have limited and/or mixed evidence (e.g., predicting weight change). Given the positive relationship for TD in the majority of domains examined, further consideration for TD as a behavioral marker of obesity is warranted.

Adolescent Time and Risk Preferences: Measurement, Determinants and Field Consequences

We use experimental and survey measures to evaluate the time and risk preferences of nearly 500 adolescents aged 16-19 years old. We find that survey questions about time and risk preferences are weakly correlated with corresponding experiments in which participants trade-off monetary rewards. We find potentially substantial inter-generational transfer of time and risk preferences: parent time and risk preferences are strongly predictive of adolescent preferences for both survey and experimental measures. There are also interesting heterogeneities: girls are less risk seeking and more patient than boys when risk and time preferences are measured via surveys. Interestingly, the survey measures have more predictive power for field outcomes than the experimental measures. Higher patience as measured by the survey is significantly associated with lower body mass index (BMI), less time spent on sedentary activities, more time spent on physical activity and lower consumption of fast food and sweets.

Reconsidering delay discounting in bulimia nervosa

Delay discounting measures one's preference for smaller-sooner versus larger-later reward and is a facet of impulsivity. Studying delay discounting in bulimia nervosa (BN) may enhance clinical understanding of BN, as BN is characterized by engagement in behaviors that provide immediate reward (i.e., binge eating, purging) at the expense of future well-being. Prior research suggests that individuals with BN prefer smaller amounts of money available sooner compared to psychiatrically healthy (HC) persons. Here, we aimed to replicate and extend previous work by studying delay discounting of both monetary and food reward in women with BN relative to HC women. We also compared delay discounting of monetary and food reward, and examined associations among delay discounting, trait impulsivity, and eating disorder symptom expression in women with BN. Participants were 20 women with sub- or full-threshold DSM-5 BN and 20 HC women who completed a diagnostic interview, paper-and-pencil measures of delay discounting of monetary and food commodities, and a measure of trait impulsivity. Contrary to previous work, we found that women with BN showed decreased delay discounting of monetary and food reward relative to HC women. Within-group analyses demonstrated that women with BN showed elevated delay discounting of food reward relative to monetary reward. Within women with BN, elevated delay discounting of food, but not money, was associated with elevated negative and positive urgency, two facets of trait impulsivity that relate to acting rashly when experiencing strong emotion. Results suggest that delay discounting may be more variable in BN than previously assumed.

General vs health-specific consideration of immediate and future consequences to explain eating and exercise behavior in a Norwegian student population: A randomized survey experiment

Over several decades, the consideration of future consequences (CFC) construct has been used to explain and predict health behaviors. However, the reported associations between CFC and health behaviors are relatively weak, leading to the low explanatory power of the models. Recent research suggests that CFC can be a domain-specific construct. In this study, we explored the psychometric properties of the Norwegian CFC-general and CFC-health questionnaires in terms of factor structure and discriminant and convergent validity and tested the association between the general and domain-specific CFC and exercise and eating behaviors. In a randomized survey experiment, 1,001 university students were assigned to either a CFC-general or a CFC-health questionnaire. In the tested models, two dimensions of CFC, consideration of immediate consequences (CFC-I) and consideration of future consequences (CFC-F), were independent variables. The exercise and eating behaviors, measured both as self-evaluated behaviors and self-reported frequency measures, were dependent variables. The results showed that in both CFC-general and CFC-health, CFC-I and CFC-F are distinct dimensions that differentially explain variance in health behaviors. A domain-specific CFC-health explained a significantly higher amount of variance in self-reported eating and exercising behaviors than a general CFC. Self-evaluated health behaviors were better explained by CFC than self-reported behavioral frequencies. Practical implications of the findings and avenues for future research are discussed.

Individual differences in functional food consumption: The role of time perspective and the Big Five personality traits

Prior research suggests inconsistent relationships between individuals' personality traits, time perspective, and specific behavior. In a large representative sample of Norwegian consumers (N = 810), we investigated the relationships between the Big Five personality traits, domain-specific consideration of future consequences (CFC), and consumption of functional foods. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized associations. Both CFC-Future and CFC-Immediate were positively related to the consumption of functional foods, whereas personality traits exerted no direct influence on consumption. Several significant associations between personality traits and CFC-Future and CFC-Immediate were found, and three of the five personality traits-Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism-exerted indirect effects on consumption frequency via CFC-Future. Results support an integrative and hierarchical understanding of how personality traits and time perspective interact in explaining variation in functional food consumption. The findings support the notion that (domain-specific) CFC is better conceptualized as two distinct-albeit related constructs-that are shaped, in part, by broader personality traits.

How do combinations of unhealthy behaviors relate to attitudinal factors and subjective health among the adult population in the Netherlands?

Background

Health behaviours like smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption and physical activity (SNAP) are often studied separately, while combinations can be particularly harmful. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of lifestyle choices by studying the prevalence of (combinations of) unhealthy SNAP behaviours in relation to attitudinal factors (time orientation, risk attitude) and subjective health (self-rated health, life expectancy) among the adult Dutch population.

Methods

In total 1006 respondents, representative of the Dutch adult population (18–75 years) in terms of sex, age, and education, were drawn from a panel in 2016. They completed an online questionnaire. Groups comparisons and logistic regression analyses (crude and adjusted) were applied to analyse (combinations of) SNAP behaviours in relation to time orientation (using the Consideration of Future Consequences scale comprising Immediate (CFC-I) and Future (CFC-F) scales) and risk attitude (Health-Risk Attitude Scale; HRAS-6), as well as subjective health (visual analogue scale and subjective life expectancy).

Results

In the analyses, 989 respondents (51% men, average 52 years, 22% low, 48% middle, and 30% high educated) were included. About 8% of respondents engaged in four unhealthy SNAP behaviours and 18% in none. Self-rated health varied from 5.5 to 7.6 in these groups, whilst subjective life expectancy ranged between 73.7 and 85.5 years. Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for socio-demographic variables, showed that smoking, excessive drinking and combining two or more unhealthy SNAP behaviours were significantly associated with CFC-I scores, which increased the odds by 30%, 18% and 19%, respectively. Only physical inactivity was significantly associated with CFC-F scores, which increased the odds by 20%. Three out of the four SNAP behaviours were significantly associated with HRAS-6, which increased the odds between 6% and 12%. An unhealthy diet, excessive drinking, and physical inactivity were significantly associated with SRH, which decreased the odds by 11%. Only smoking was significantly associated with subjective life expectancy, which decreased the odds by 3%.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that attitudinal factors and subjective health are relevant in the context of understanding unhealthy SNAP behaviours and their clustering. This emphasizes the relevance of a holistic approach to health prevention rather than focusing on a single unhealthy SNAP behaviour.

A time-based intervention to treat impulsivity in male and female rats

Time-based interventions have emerged as promising treatments for disorders associated with impulsivity. These interventions can be implemented to test their efficacy in preventing or treating impulsive choice in animal models of diseases related to impulsivity such as drug abuse. Impulsive choice is typically defined as choosing a smaller-sooner (SS) reward over a larger-later (LL) reward when the LL is relatively more optimal. Previous research has shown that these interventions promote LL choices in males and females, but sex differences have not been assessed. Because sex differences can complicate the application of therapies, it is critical to compare the effects of the intervention in males and females. The intervention group received exposure to 10-s and 30-s interval schedules, and the control rats received no delay to reward. Different impulsive choice tasks were used to assess the intervention efficacy across the two experiments. Following the intervention, reductions in impulsive choice were found in male and female rats, but the degree of improvement was inconsistent across sex and task. Bayesian analyses that combined the results revealed robust evidence of an overall intervention effect with the intervention group showing greater self-control, but there was no evidence for the intervention affecting males and females differently. Taken together, these results suggest that time-based interventions are effective tools to treat impulsivity in both males and females and offer promising translational capability to humans.

Concordance between monetary and sexual delay discounting in men who have sex with men

Background Delay discounting has been found to be associated with numerous health-related outcomes, including risky sexual behaviour. To date, it is unclear whether delay discounting measured in different domains is associated within individuals. The goal of this study was to assess the concordance of monetary and sexual delay discounting in men who have sex with men.

METHODS

Participants completed an online survey, including the Monetary Choice Questionnaire and the Sexual Discounting Task. Linear regression models were used to assess the association between monetary and sexual discount rates.

RESULTS

Sexual discount rates did not predict monetary discount rates. There was a substantial amount of clustering of sexual discount rates, requiring sexual discounting data to be categorised.

CONCLUSIONS

Monetary and sexual delay discounting are distinct processes that are not necessarily associated within individuals, and monetary delay discounting is not an appropriate proxy measure for sexual impulsivity. Data from the Sexual Discounting Task are typically rank-transformed for analysis. These data suggest that this might be an invalid method of analysis. Future studies should investigate the distribution of their data to determine if it is appropriate to analyse sexual discounting data as a continuous measure.

The Consideration of Future Consequences: Evidence for Domain Specificity Across Five Life Domains

The consideration of future consequences (CFC) is a cognitive-motivational construct describing the extent to which individuals consider the future outcomes of behavior during decision-making. The current research examined the extent to which CFC may be a domain-specific, as opposed to global, temporal construct. Across three surveys, adults ( n = 498; 66.9% female; 41.2% students) completed the 14-item general CFC scale, five newly adapted domain-specific CFC scales, and self-report measures of behavior in five substantive domains (work, health, the environment, money, and college). Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the two-factor model in the CFC-14, supporting the distinction between CFC-Future and CFC-Immediate in domain-specific CFC-14 scales. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that domain-specific, and not the general, CFC subscales were most strongly associated with the relevant domain-specific behavior and revealed differential patterns of association between domain-specific CFC subscales and behaviors in particular domains. The applied implications for behavioral interventions are discussed.

Time orientation mediates the link between hunger and hedonic choices across domains

This study investigated the link between hunger and individuals' inclination to make hedonic choices in several distinct consumption domains. Participants made a set of binary choices between hedonic and utilitarian items, both from the food domain (for example, between chocolate and carrots) and from domains unassociated with food (for instance, between an apartment with a nice view and an apartment close to work). Next, participants indicated their hunger level, after which they replied to items measuring time orientation. The results revealed that hunger (vs. satiation) increased participants' proclivity to make hedonic choices across domains. This effect was moderated by the domain specificity of the items to be consumed and was mediated by participants' time orientation. Thus, although hunger resulted in a generalized pleasure-seeking propensity, leading to more hedonic choices regarding virtually anything, hungry (vs. satiated) participants showed a particularly powerful increase in their desire to acquire hedonic food (vs. non-food) items, and this effect was driven by a shift in their time orientation, with a more prominent focus on present pleasures. The article has important implications for time-specific marketing messages of hedonic consumer goods and offers creative ways to counteract shortsighted consumer choices that may be used to promote public health.

"Prevention Produce": Integrating Medical Student Mentorship into a Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program for At-Risk Patients

INTRODUCTION

Fruit and vegetable prescription (FVRx) programs provide increased access to produce to food-insecure, at-risk populations, yet many lack the educational and social components to support long-term disease prevention.

OBJECTIVES

To address these barriers, students at Penn State College of Medicine designed "Prevention Produce"-a modified FVRx program that integrated a community-based, month-long educational curriculum-and undertook preliminary evaluation.

METHODS

Nine families deemed by clinicians as at risk of chronic disease and food insecurity received weekly $40 "prescriptions" for produce at partnering farmers markets. Participants were paired with medical student mentors who delivered weekly nutrition education modules and assisted in produce shopping. Preprogram and postprogram surveys were administered, categorizing perceptions and practices of healthy eating. All participants were interviewed by phone 3 years later to assess long-term impact. Medical students provided written reflections via online survey.

RESULTS

Postprogram fruit and vegetable consumption increased, and more patients expressed efforts to include produce in every meal. More participants strongly agreed that fruits and vegetables prevented chronic diseases. In reflective interviews, participants praised the program's ease of use, mentor-patient relationship, and increased access to produce. Student mentors expressed gratitude for one-on-one interaction and felt empowered to learn and deliver nutrition education.

CONCLUSION

Integration of an FVRx program with education, mentorship, and community-based focus may increase produce consumption and improve opinions about healthy eating. This program serves as a model for integrating preventive strategies within larger health care systems. Additionally, the model can facilitate early clinical interventions that may benefit medical trainees' professional development.

Exercise as a reward: Self-paced exercise perception and delay discounting in comparison with food and money

Exercise is an important health behavior. Expressed reasons for participation are often delayed outcomes i.e. health threats and benefits, but also enjoyment. However, we do not know how people evaluate exercise as a reward. The value of rewards diminish the longer we have to wait for them and the discounting effect can undermine decision-making. Here, we investigated delay-discounting of exercise perception and its valuation with time delays; we conducted self-paced exercise sessions on treadmill and compared the discounting rates of exercise (k_ex) with those of established rewards of food (k_fo) and money (k_m). Outcomes show, that young, moderately active participants (n = 70) preferred walking/running intensity with low to moderate cardiovascular strain and light perceived exertion. Delay discounting rates (k) indicated that exercise was discounted like other consumable rewards at the same rate as food and more rapidly than monetary rewards. Significant associations were detected of k_ex with preferred speed and with extrinsic exercise motivation. Exercise training (n = 16) reduced k_ex specifically, not affecting k_fo. Our studies show, that participants perceived and discounted self-paced walking/running like a consumable reward. Exercise discounting was quicker in individuals who preferred lower speeds being less physically active and exercise training reduced the decay rate of exercise specifically.

Neural predictors of eating behavior and dietary change

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of human neuroimaging studies seeking to predict behavior above and beyond traditional measurements such as self-report. This trend has been particularly notable in the area of food consumption, as the percentage of people categorized as overweight or obese continues to rise. In this review, we argue that there is considerable utility in this form of health neuroscience, modeling the neural bases of eating behavior and dietary change in healthy community populations. Further, we propose a model and accompanying evidence indicating that several basic processes underlying eating behavior, particularly reactivity, regulation, and valuation, can be predictive of behavior change. We also discuss future directions for this work.

A multimodal investigation of impulsivity as a moderator of the relation between momentary elevations in negative internal states and subsequent dietary lapses

Suboptimal outcomes from behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatments are partially attributable to accumulated instances of non-adherence to dietary prescriptions (i.e., dietary lapses). Results identifying negative internal triggers for dietary lapses are inconsistent, potentially due to individual differences that impact how individuals respond to cues. Impulsivity is one factor that likely influences reactivity to internal states. We examined three dimensions of impulsivity (delay discounting, inhibitory control, and negative urgency) as moderators of the relation between affective and physical states and subsequent dietary lapses at the beginning of BWL. Overweight/obese adults (n = 189) completed behavioral and self-reported measures of impulsivity at baseline of BWL and an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol across the first two weeks of treatment to report on affective/physical states and instances of dietary lapses. Results indicated that baseline negative urgency, but not delay discounting or inhibitory control, was positively associated with overall lapse risk. Moderation analyses indicated that poorer inhibitory control strengthened the relation between momentary increases in stress and subsequent dietary lapse, and higher negative urgency strengthened the relation between increases in loneliness and dietary lapse. Negative urgency also moderated the impact of momentary hunger on subsequent dietary lapse risk in an unexpected direction, such that higher negative urgency weakened the relation between hunger and subsequent lapse. Results lend partial and tentative support for the moderating role of impulsivity on the relation between internal states and lapse likelihood. With replication, the development and testing of personalized treatment components based on baseline impulsivity level may be warranted.