Motivation for health behaviour: A predictor of adherence to balanced and healthy food across different coastal Mediterranean countries

Healthy Lifestyle Motivators of Willingness to Consume Healthy Food Brands: An Integrative Model

This study evaluated how healthy lifestyle motivators (MHLs) influence the Peruvian market's willingness to consume healthy food (WCHBF). The main objective was to analyze the relationship of variables, such as attitude (ATT), perceived behavioral control (PBC), self-identity (SI), and moral norms (MN) with the WCHBF. This study adopted a quantitative, non-experimental, and cross-sectional approach, using a self-administered questionnaire for data collection. A total of 585 individuals participated. The participants were consumers of the Unión brand, which specializes in healthy food. A 5-point Likert scale was used to evaluate the key variables. For the analysis, IBM SPSS Statistics 25 programs were used to examine the demographic data and SmartPLS 4.1.0.9 was used to assess the conceptual model using partial least squares (PLS-SEM). The results showed that healthy lifestyle motivators positively influence the willingness to consume healthy food and ATT, PBC, SI, and MN variables. In turn, these variables significantly impact the willingness to purchase healthy food. The findings suggest that marketing campaigns should highlight these motivators to encourage the consumption of healthy food. The implications of this study reinforce the importance of understanding psychological factors in consumer decision-making.

Perceived Barriers to Healthy Lifestyle Adherence and Associated Factors Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Implications for Improved Self-Care

Background

Many patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) face barriers to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This study investigated the perceived barriers to healthy eating and physical activity and compared them by demographic and diabetes-related characteristics among patients with T2DM.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 534 patients with T2DM attending primary healthcare centers in Hail City from January to June 2023. Data analyzed at a significance level of <0.05.

Results

Barriers to healthy eating and physical activity were perceived by 34.9% and 28% of patients, re-spectively. Personal and environmental barriers to healthy eating were perceived more frequently than social barriers (43.0% and 26.9%, respectively). Personal and environmental barriers to physical activity were perceived by 28.0% of patients, followed by social barriers (27.9%). The most frequently perceived barrier to healthy eating was a lack of motivation (61.6%), followed by insufficient information about healthy diets (32.2%). Regarding physical activity, a lack of motivation was the most frequently perceived personal barrier (32.0%), while a lack of a supportive work environment was the most frequently perceived social barrier (33.7%). Patients who were aged between 30 and 40 years, were highly educated, were diagnosed with DM within less than five years, and used insulin injections as a strategy to manage DM reported significantly higher levels of perceived barriers to healthy eating compared to their counterparts. In contrast, patients who were female, married, had poor financial status, and used insulin injections reported significantly higher levels of perceived barriers to physical activity compared to their counterparts.

Conclusion

Over one-third of patients with T2DM seeking medical care in Hail City perceive barriers to healthy eating, mainly a lack of motivation, insufficient diet information. Educational programs that consider the unique characteristics of patients should be developed.

Analysis of Actual Fitness Supplement Consumption among Health and Fitness Enthusiasts

With the rising popularity of fitness supplements, understanding the factors driving their consumption behaviors is crucial. This study investigated the actual consumption of fitness supplements utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Health Belief Model (HBM), and the Theory of Effort Minimization in Physical Activity (TEMPA) frameworks. The TPB provided insights into how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence individuals' intentions to consume fitness supplements. Additionally, the HBM sheds light on perceived effectiveness, benefits, barriers, and health motivation related to supplement consumption. Integrating the TEMPA framework further investigated the role of effort minimization in physical activity contexts. Through an online questionnaire, data were collected from a sample of 250 fitness supplement-consuming respondents. SEM analysis revealed significant associations between behavioral intentions and attitudes, perceived behavioral control, health motivation, and controlled precursors. However, it was seen that subjective norms, perceived effectiveness, perceived benefits, and automatic precursors were deemed insignificant. The findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the factors shaping actual consumption behaviors, offering valuable implications for marketers, health professionals, and policymakers seeking to promote informed and responsible supplement use among health and fitness enthusiasts.

Food Knowledge for Better Nutrition and Health: A Study among University Students in Portugal

When students enter university, they suffer adaptations, including, usually, greater autonomy and responsibility for the choices they make. Therefore, it is crucial that they are well informed so as to make healthier food choices. The aim of this study was to determine whether sociodemographic characteristics, academic performance and lifestyle (tobacco and alcohol consumption) interfere with food literacy in university students. A quantitative, analytical, descriptive, transversal and correlational study was carried out, using quantitative data obtained through a questionnaire survey applied to a sample of 924 university students in Portugal. Food literacy was assessed through a scale of 27 items, distributed in three dimensions: D1-Literacy about food nutritional value and composition, D2-Literacy about labelling and food choice and D3-Literacy about healthy eating practices. Results showed no differences in food literacy according to sex or age. However, food literacy varied significantly with nationality, either globally (p = 0.006) or in the different dimensions evaluated (p-values of 0.005, 0.027 and 0.012 for D1, D2 and D3, respectively). In terms of academic achievement, the results showed no significant differences according to self-reported academic performance or even to the average classification obtained in the course. Regarding lifestyle variables, it was observed that alcohol consumption or smoking are not associated with food literacy, that is, food literacy does not vary significantly with these two lifestyle variables. In conclusion, food literacy in general and the dimensions evaluated are essentially constant among university students in Portugal, only varying for students from abroad. These results help to better perceive the food literacy levels for the population under study, university students, and that can be a valuable tool to better increase food literacy at these institutions as a way to better prepare for a healthier life and proper food habits that can enhance health in the long term.

Emotions and Food Consumption: Emotional Eating Behavior in a European Population

Emotion can reflect in the perception of food consumption. An increase in food intake during emotional and psychological conditions may have a negative impact on human health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between food consumption, emotional eating behavior, and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, boredom eating, maintaining vigilance and alertness, and emotional food consolation. We used a Motivations for Food Choices Questionnaire (Eating Motivations, EATMOT) to determine the emotional aspects of food consumption in 9052 respondents living in 12 European countries between October 2017 and March 2018. Ordinal linear regression was used to identify the associations between the emotional eating behavior and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, emotional consolation, and reasons to improve physical and psychological conditions. The regression models confirmed the associations between food consumption, emotional conditions, and emotional eating behavior. Associations were found between the emotional eating behavior and stress (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.60, p = 0.010), depressive mood (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.40-1.43, p < 0.001), loneliness (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.58-1.62, p < 0.001), boredom (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.36-1.39, p < 0.001), and emotional consolation (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.54-1.57, p < 0.001). Emotional eating was associated with an effort to improve physical and psychological conditions, such as controlling body weight (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.10-1.12, p < 0.001), keeping awake and alert (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.19-1.20, p < 0.001) and consumption to feel good (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.21-1.22, p < 0.001). In conclusion, emotions might provoke emotional eating behavior. The appropriate way to handle stress, depression, or other emotional states is important in conditions of being emotionally overwhelmed. The public should be educated on how to handle different emotional states. The focus should be moved somehow from emotional eating and the consumption of unhealthy food to healthy lifestyle practices, including regular exercise and healthy eating habits. Thus, it is necessary to halt these negative health effects on human health through public health programs.

Food Literacy Scale: Validation through Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a Sample of Portuguese University Students

Eating behaviors and healthy food choices are associated with food literacy, and they have a huge impact on one's health status. For that reason, to increase food literacy is a way to effectively help individuals make appropriate choices that help maintain health and diminish the incidence of non-communicable diseases. The objective of this work was to test and validate a scale to assess food literacy. The validation was conducted on a sample of 924 Portuguese university students. The scale was composed of 50 items, which were submitted to exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis. The final validated scale corresponded to a second-order model with a global factor called "Food literacy", which retained 26 items distributed by three factors: F1-literacy about the nutritional composition of foods (10 items), F2-literacy about labelling and food choices (7 items), and F3-literacy about healthy eating practices (9 items). The internal consistency of the scale is very high, with an alpha higher than 0.9, and the Pierson correlations between the three factors and the global are also higher than 0.9. In conclusion, the present scale has been validated and can therefore be utilized to measure food literacy.

Is Better Knowledge about Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber Related to Food Labels Reading Habits? A Croatian Overview

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between health dietary patterns, knowledge, and consumption of dietary fiber (DF) with frequency of food label reading on food products with special reference to DF. The study was conducted in 2536 Croatian adults using an original questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations between food label reading habits and predictor variables. Our study confirms the association between habits regarding the reading of labels on food products, especially in relation to information about DF with the sociodemographic factors of respondents, dietary food patterns and DF consumption, as well as knowledge and sources of information about DF. Women, individuals with a university-level education, and those living in an urban environment had more frequent labels used. Food habits as well as eating outside of the home were positive predictors while eating fast food was a negative predictor of food label reading. Knowledge about DF, especially about its health benefits, was also associated with food label reading. The interpretation of associations could help with the design of effective public health programs. Targeted education campaigns to educate and sensitize the population about food labeling and monitoring may improve general knowledge about healthy food and its benefits, which include indirect effects on the prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases.