Understanding and modelling vegetables consumption among young adults

Predicting the Adoption of a Sustainable Diet in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy

Shifting food choices towards sustainability entails the analysis of dietary behavior determinants. This study aimed to explain and predict the intention to follow a sustainable diet and its adoption in a representative sample of adults (n = 838) in Italy. An online survey based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was developed. The adoption of a sustainable diet was measured as self-perceived behavior, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), and food consumption frequencies. Psychometric analysis and correlations between attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) with both intention and behavior assessments were evaluated. Structural equation models were used to test whether and to what extent attitude, subjective norms, and PBC explained intention and behavior. Significant associations were found between TPB constructs and the behavior measures underlining the main role of intention and PBC in affecting behavior. The applied TPB models explained behavioral intention at most (78%). The results suggested promising interventions in narrowing the attitude-behavior gap to encourage specific adult population groups in Italy to adopt virtuous food consumption habits. Beside the implementation of price mechanism strategies, educational initiatives to increase awareness about food and diet sustainability issues and the reinforcement of the perceived control on food consumption at the individual level are recommended.

Consumer Intention to Utilize an E-Commerce Platform for Imperfect Vegetables Based on Health-Consciousness

Thailand has a problem with fruit and vegetable waste because consumers have a negative attitude towards fruit and vegetables with imperfect shapes; however, those imperfections have no impact on nutritional quality. Young adults are most aware of the problem of food waste. Here, we study factors influencing consumer’ intention to adopt an e-commerce platform that commercializes imperfect vegetables (ugly veggies). In all, 390 respondents from four provinces of Thailand were enrolled in the study. Cluster analysis, structural equation modeling, and multigroup moderation analysis approaches were used. The main conceptual framework was adapted from the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology. Respondents were classified into low, moderate, and high health-conscious segments. We found that performance expectancy positively influences the behavioral intention of highly health-conscious consumers. For consumers in the moderate health-consciousness segment, effort expectancy and social influence positively affect behavioral intention. None of the hypothesized factors influence the low health-consciousness segment’s behavioral intention. This paper expands the understanding of consumer’ attitudes toward accepting an imperfect vegetable e-commerce platform. Additionally, the research can guide platform development and marketing efforts.

Strategies to Promote Healthy Eating Among University Students: A Qualitative Study Using the Nominal Group Technique

Introduction

The years spent at university are critical in terms of altering people's dietary patterns. This study aimed to: (1) understand the main dietary changes that students experience after starting university; (2) determine the personal and objective factors that hinder healthy eating, and (3) define possible strategies to facilitate healthier diets among university students.

Methods

The nominal group technique (NGT) was used to elicit ideas from 39 students from the University of Parma, Italy. The sample comprised 16 freshmen and 23 non-freshmen. Participants prioritized and weighed their top five ideas regarding dietary changes, barriers to healthy eating, and possible strategies to maintain a healthy diet. A thematic analysis was conducted to compare the priorities across groups.

Results

Forty-three themes were elected as the most significant changes related to diet, 39 themes related to personal barriers, 43 themes related to objective barriers, and 55 themes related to strategies. A lack of time for cooking, low financial availability, consumption of unvaried food or junk food, and gaining knowledge about food were identified as the main changes. Personal barriers to eating healthy were intrinsic (i.e., lack of willpower, personal gluttony, and little effort in cooking preparation), poor dietary information, and a busy lifestyle. Market and financial factors (i.e., the high price of healthy products and low financial availability), as well as social factors (i.e., the negative influence of social networks, childhood food education, and origin/tradition), emerged as objective barriers. Possible strategies that could encourage students to adopt a healthy diet include varying the food products offered in university canteens, including organizing spaces where students who prepare meals from home can warm up and eat their food. Student discounts at supermarkets and information on nutrition and a healthy diet were also identified as important ways of supporting students.

Conclusion and Implication for Practice

In order to make students part of the solution, the NGT provided them with the opportunity to equally contribute their ideas and opinions about having a healthy diet in a university context. This could potentially lead to tailor-made solutions for policymakers, educators, and foodservice providers in promoting healthy eating habits.

Modeling fruit and vegetable consumption in Serbia

Although regular intake of fruits and vegetables has an essential role in a healthy diet and well-being, a majority of consumers in Serbia have a suboptimal intake of these groceries. To understand the main determinants of this unsatisfactory situation, the study tested an extended model of the theory of planned behavior intending to suggest necessary steps for improving fruits and vegetables daily intake. This theory, extended for the role of knowledge, was tested using structural equation modeling. Fit indices confirmed the utility of this extended model of the theory of planned behavior in explaining consumers' behavior as well as the mediating role of behavioral intentions. Serbia, as one of the central developing countries in the Balkans, was chosen to test the model with the possibility of applying it to other developing countries facing malnutrition. Data were collected in North Serbia, through an online survey (n=688). Despite consumers' high awareness of fruits and vegetables' beneficial health effects, the influence of consumers' knowledge only is not sufficient to trigger behavioral changes. Consumers' intentions and behavior should be influenced indirectly, by changing their attitudes and subjective norms. All custom-made activities promoting a higher fruit and vegetable intake should consider the present findings to achieve a bigger effect on behavioral changes among consumers.

Modeling fruit and vegetable consumption in Serbia

Although regular intake of fruits and vegetables has an essential role in a healthy diet and well-being, a majority of consumers in Serbia have a suboptimal intake of these groceries. To understand the main determinants of this unsatisfactory situation, the study tested an extended model of the theory of planned behavior intending to suggest necessary steps for improving fruits and vegetables daily intake. This theory, extended for the role of knowledge, was tested using structural equation modeling. Fit indices confirmed the utility of this extended model of the theory of planned behavior in explaining consumers' behavior as well as the mediating role of behavioral intentions. Serbia, as one of the central developing countries in the Balkans, was chosen to test the model with the possibility of applying it to other developing countries facing malnutrition. Data were collected in North Serbia, through an online survey (n=688). Despite consumers' high awareness of fruits and vegetables' beneficial health effects, the influence of consumers' knowledge only is not sufficient to trigger behavioral changes. Consumers' intentions and behavior should be influenced indirectly, by changing their attitudes and subjective norms. All custom-made activities promoting a higher fruit and vegetable intake should consider the present findings to achieve a bigger effect on behavioral changes among consumers.

Habit is the Bridge between Intention and Behavior: A Look at Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Low-Income Older Adults

OBJECTIVE

To examine the influence of habit and theory of planned behavior (TPB) variables in predicting low-income older adults' fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

A city in the southeast United States.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 372 low-income older adults participated in this study.

RESULTS

Participants completed a validated survey measuring TPB variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention), F&V intake using the Block Dietary Fruit-Vegetable Screener, and self-reported habit index to measure F&V consumption. Perceived behavioral control was the largest factor influencing intention to consume F&V, followed by attitude and subjective norm. In addition, there was a significant interaction between habit strength and intention, such that intention influenced F&V consumption only among individuals with average or higher habit strength.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study suggest health promotion programs aimed at increasing F&V intake among low-income older adults should focus on establishing F&V intake as a habit so that an individual's intentions to consume F&V can be transformed into actual F&V intake. Also, emphasizing how to overcome potential barriers would improve low-income older adults' actual F&V intake by increasing their sense of control over consuming F&V.

Food Choice Determinants and Perceptions of a Healthy Diet among Italian Consumers

Healthy food choices are crucial for a healthy lifestyle. However, food choices are complex and affected by various factors. Understanding the determinant factors affecting food choices could aid policy-makers in designing better strategies to promote healthy food choices in the general public. This study aims to evaluate the food choice motivations and to segment consumer groups, according to their food choice motivations, in a sample of 531 Italian consumers (collected by convenience sampling), through offline and online survey platforms. K-means cluster analysis was applied to identify consumer groups using six food choice motivation categories (health, emotional, economic and availability, social and cultural, environmental and political, and marketing and commercial). The results suggest that the strongest determinants for the food choices of Italian consumers are Environmental factors and Health. Two consumer profiles were identified through the segmentation analysis: Emotional eating and Health-driven consumers. The respondents were found to have a good awareness of what comprises a healthy diet. There is a potential market for healthy and sustainable food products, especially products with minimal or environmentally friendly packages. Food labels and information strategies could be promoted as tools to assist consumers to make healthy food choices.

Energy-Saving Behaviours in Workplaces: Application of an Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Individual energy-saving behaviours are crucial for reducing energy consumption, and research on the determinants of these behaviours has been increasing over the last decade. The aim of this study is to explore the determinants of two specific behaviours: 'switching off non-essential lights' and 'completely switching off electronic devices'. An extended model of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has been used as the theoretical research framework. The extension was implemented by considering two components (affective and cognitive) of the attitude towards these behaviours and then adding habit as a new variable. A two-waves study was conducted in which a convenience sample of Italian workers completed a questionnaire measuring the TPB constructs in relation to the two energy-saving behaviours (Time 1). The participants then completed another questionnaire a month later to assess self-reports of these behaviours (Time 2). The inclusion of habit improved the predictive power of the TPB, and the extended model was found to explain 65.5% and 76.1% of the variance in intentions and 16.2% and 22.9% of the variance in behaviours. Cognitive attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and habit were significantly related to intentions, and perceived behavioural control was the strongest predictor. Habit moderated some relationships between the TPB constructs and intentions. Behaviours were associated directly only with intentions. The results of this study support the efficacy of the TPB model in predicting target behaviours; they also suggest some strategies that can be followed to promote these energy-saving behaviours.

The Influence of Health Messages in Nudging Consumption of Whole Grain Pasta

Health messages may be an important predictor in the selection of healthier food choices among young adults. The primary objective of our study is to test the impact of labeling whole grain pasta with a health message descriptor displayed at the point-of-purchase (POP) on consumer choice in a campus dining setting. The study was conducted in a large US college dining venue during lunch service; data were collected during a nine-week period, for a total of 18 days of observation. Each day, an information treatment (i.e., no-message condition; vitamin message; fiber message) was alternated assigned to whole grain penne. Over the study period, the selection of four pasta options (white penne, whole grain penne, spinach fettuccine, and tortellini) were recorded and compiled for analysis. Logistic regression and pairwise comparison analyses were performed to estimate the impact of health messages on diners’ decisions to choose whole grain penne among the four pasta types. Our results indicate that only the message about vitamin benefits had a significant effect on this choice, with a 7.4% higher probability of selecting this pasta than the no-message condition and 6.0% higher than the fiber message condition. These findings suggest that psychological health claims (e.g., reduction of fatigue) of whole grains seem more attractive than physiological health claims (e.g., maintaining a healthy weight) for university students. In line with the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, our results suggest that small changes made at the POP have the potential to contribute to significant improvements in diet (e.g., achieving recommended levels of dietary fiber). These findings have important implications for food service practitioners in delivering information with the greatest impact on healthy food choices.

Vegetable Consumption and Factors Associated with Increased Intake among College Students: A Scoping Review of the Last 10 Years

Vegetable consumption is a predictor for improved health outcomes, such as reduced obesity and likelihood of food-related noncommunicable diseases. Young adults are a key population, being in a transitional stage-of-life: Habits gained here are taken through the lifespan. This review establishes insight into the consumption of vegetables among young adults during their college/university years, and factors associated with increased consumption. Seventy-one papers were extracted, published between January 2009 and October 2018. Search terms related to consumption; vegetables; and college/university setting and sample. A diverse range of definitions, guidelines, and study approaches were observed. Findings identify that the majority of students do not consume World Health Organization recommendations. Being female was the most frequent predictor of higher intake of vegetables, and no consumption patterns were identified by countries. Living at family home; body mass index; happiness and stress level; perceived importance of healthy eating; socioeconomic level; breakfast consumption; stage of study; openness to new experiences; sleep pattern; nutrition knowledge; activity level; alcohol usage; and energy intake were identified as influential factors. Public policies and new strategies to encourage vegetable consumption among college students are indispensable, especially targeting subgroups with even lower intakes, such as males and those living outside family home.

College Students and Eating Habits: A Study Using An Ecological Model for Healthy Behavior

Overweightness and obesity rates have increased dramatically over the past few decades and they represent a health epidemic in the United States (US). Unhealthy dietary habits are among the factors that can have adverse effects on weight status in young adulthood. The purpose of this explorative study was to use a qualitative research design to analyze the factors (barriers and enablers) that US college students perceived as influencing healthy eating behaviors. A group of Cornell University students (n = 35) participated in six semi-structured focus groups. A qualitative software, CAQDAS Nvivo11 Plus, was used to create codes that categorized the group discussions while using an Ecological Model. Common barriers to healthy eating were time constraints, unhealthy snacking, convenience high-calorie food, stress, high prices of healthy food, and easy access to junk food. Conversely, enablers to healthy behavior were improved food knowledge and education, meal planning, involvement in food preparation, and being physically active. Parental food behavior and friends’ social pressure were considered to have both positive and negative influences on individual eating habits. The study highlighted the importance of consulting college students when developing healthy eating interventions across the campus (e.g., labeling healthy food options and information campaigns) and considering individual-level factors and socio-ecological aspects in the analysis.