Abstract
Compensatory health beliefs (CHBs) are beliefs that an unhealthy behavior (unhealthy eating) can be compensated for by engaging in a healthy behavior (physical activity). Previous research focused on CHBs as rather stable beliefs (trait). Some studies indicated that situation-specific CHBs (state) might be important in situations, in which people are confronted with an unhealthy snack. This study aims to investigate the association between CHBs and unhealthy snack consumption in daily life with a special focus on the distinction between trait and state CHBs. Overall, N = 45 participants (66.7% female; age: 18–45 years, M = 21.9) received a link to an online questionnaire five times daily for seven consecutive days (n = 1575 possible diary entries). They reported unhealthy snack consumption, state and trait CHBs concerning the compensation with subsequent eating behavior and physical activity. The results showed that trait and state CHBs were significantly positively related to unhealthy snack consumption in daily life. Different effects appeared for CHBs concerning the compensation with subsequent eating behavior compared to the compensation with physical activity. This study demonstrates that both, state and trait CHBs are important for unhealthy snack consumption in daily life. Findings emphasize the need for further daily diary approaches to understand the temporal sequence of state CHBs that could further explain the use of CHBs as a maladaptive strategy for unhealthy eating.
Highlights
Unhealthy food products rich in fats and carbohydrates are available almost anywhere and anytime
The results showed that trait and state compensatory health beliefs (CHBs) were significantly positively related to unhealthy snack consumption in daily life
This study demonstrates that both, state and trait CHBs are important for unhealthy snack consumption in daily life
Summary
Unhealthy food products rich in fats and carbohydrates are available almost anywhere and anytime. Journal Pre-proof Even though a significant proportion of the population has sufficient knowledge about a healthy diet (see De Ridder, Kroese, Evers, Adriaanse, & Gillebaart, 2017), food cues of unhealthy foods in daily life can increase the desire to eat an unhealthy snack and promote consumption (Wadhera & Capaldi-Phillips, 2014). In such a situation, when people are tempted with the accessibility of an unhealthy snack (e.g. chocolate), and try to follow a long-term health goal (e.g. eating healthily) a motivational conflict can result (Rabiau, Knäuper, & Miquelon, 2006). CHBs can be problematic, for example, when people use them as a justification for indulgence but do not engage in the subsequent compensatory behavior
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