Conceptual model for dietary change to lower serum cholesterol

Constructing food choice decisions

BACKGROUND

Food choice decisions are frequent, multifaceted, situational, dynamic, and complex and lead to food behaviors where people acquire, prepare, serve, give away, store, eat, and clean up. Many disciplines and fields examine decision making.

PURPOSE

Several classes of theories are applicable to food decision making, including social behavior, social facts, and social definition perspectives. Each offers some insights but also makes limiting assumptions that prevent fully explaining food choice decisions.

METHODS

We used constructionist social definition perspectives to inductively develop a food choice process model that organizes a broad scope of factors and dynamics involved in food behaviors.

RESULTS

This food choice process model includes (1) life course events and experiences that establish a food choice trajectory through transitions, turning points, timing, and contexts; (2) influences on food choices that include cultural ideals, personal factors, resources, social factors, and present contexts; and (3) a personal system that develops food choice values, negotiates and balances values, classifies foods and situations, and forms/revises food choice strategies, scripts, and routines. The parts of the model dynamically interact to make food choice decisions leading to food behaviors.

CONCLUSION

No single theory can fully explain decision making in food behavior. Multiple perspectives are needed, including constructionist thinking.

Individual differences in the conceptualization of food across eating contexts

Individual differences in food-related knowledge structures were explored by applying schema theory to examine the categories 42 adults used to classify foods across four eating contexts. Food card-sort labels were organized into 12 categories, category salience for each person was evaluated, and cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of participants according to the salience of their categories. Clusters were further evaluated for complexity and consistency of category use across contexts. Seven food schema clusters were identified. Meal/time and Routine categories were the most salient overall and were used by most clusters. Well-being, Person, Source, Convenience, Meal component, and Food group categories varied in salience across clusters. The complexity and consistency of the food categories participants used across the contexts varied among the clusters. This study provided insight about cognitions that may underlie food-choice behaviors. Understanding individuals' food schemas could help nutrition professionals tailor messages to maximize health impact.

Dimensions of everyday eating and drinking episodes

This study sought to gain conceptual understanding of the situational nature of eating and drinking by analyzing 7 consecutive, qualitative 24-h recalls of foods and beverages consumed from 42 US adults who worked in non-managerial, non-professional positions. Participants were purposively recruited to vary in age, gender, occupation, and household composition. For each recall, participants described foods and beverages consumed, location, people present, thoughts and feelings, and activities occurring at that time. Analysis of verbatim transcripts of interviews identified 1448 eating and drinking episodes. Constant comparative analysis of participants' descriptions for episodes resulted in a conceptual framework that characterizes eating and drinking episodes as holistic and as having eight interconnected dimensions (food and drink, time, location, activities, social setting, mental processes, physical condition, recurrence). Each dimension has multiple features that can be used to describe the episodes. In recalling episodes, participants used conventional labels (e.g. "dinner") as well as modified-conventional labels (e.g. "birthday dinner") and uniquely constructed labels (e.g. "unwind time"). Labels provided insights into the dimensions of the episodes. Results suggest approaches for researchers and practitioners who seek to understand how people manage everyday eating at a time when traditional meal patterns are changing.

Personal food systems of male college hockey players

This study sought to improve the understanding of processes involved in food choice and dietary change by examining how members of a college men's ice hockey team experienced the multiple factors influencing their food choices. The study employed a theory-guided, grounded-theory approach, participant observation, and open-ended interviews with ten team members. Field notes and transcripts were analysed using the constant comparative method. Going to college and playing hockey involved adjusting to new food and athletic environments, increased personal responsibility for food choices, and new meanings for food and eating. Players viewed hockey, health, and taste as major determinants of their food practices. Hockey meant structured schedules, a social network, and performance expectations. Health meant "feeling good" for hockey, having a lean body composition, and a desirable body image. Low-fat foods were viewed generally as healthy, but as not providing taste satisfaction or reward. Players' food practices cycled through four phases over the year according to the changing meanings and importance of hockey, health, and taste. The findings advance the concept of personal food system to represent the way that a person constructs the options, barriers, trade-offs, rules, and routines in food choice in response to how s/he views his/her relationships with food and the environment.