Abstract
Perseverative cognition (PC), consisting of worry and rumination, has been consistently linked to a variety of poorer health outcomes, namely via the worsening of stress-induced health risk behaviours. However, research into PC and unhealthy food choice, a key health behaviour, still remains relatively unexplored. In the current pilot investigation, 284 participants were recruited to take part in an online food choice paradigm before completing the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and the Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI). As a reduced availability of unhealthy snacks has been shown to improve snack choice, participants were randomly allocated to either an even condition (a 3:3 ratio of ≤99 kcal and ≥199 kcal snacks) or an uneven condition (a 4:2 ratio in favour of ≤99 kcal snacks). It was hypothesized that higher levels of PC may predict greater instances of poorer snack choices across, or even within, this paradigm. Despite an increase availability of lower calorie snacks leading to a healthier snack choice, both state and trait PC measures did not significantly influence snack choice irrespective of this varying availability. Although, marginal trends were found for higher state PC and higher calorie crisp selections. The current pilot therefore adds to the growing literature advocating for the use of behavioural economic tactics to engender healthier food choices, yet further work is needed to unpick the mediating role of PC (and its components) in snack consumption paradigms.
Highlights
Obesity presents a monumental challenge to public health
Given the established premise that stressed individuals will seek out high fat or sugar, energy dense snacks, the current study proposed to investigate the effects of Perseverative cognition (PC), and the altering availability of healthier snacks within this framework, by focusing on crisps and chocolate bars that vary in calorie content
The current study sought to examine the influence of state and trait PC when in light of a reduced availability of unhealthy snacks
Summary
Obesity presents a monumental challenge to public health. A significant cause of surplus weight gain and body mass index (BMI) is poor dietary choices, namely excessive energy intake and the substantial consumption of calorie dense and highly processed foods [1]. Behavioural research has attempted to highlight the contribution of an individual’s food environment and the surrounding obesogenic cues that may function to direct dietary choices towards innutritious, calorie dense foods [2,3]. This is further supported by the successful application of a number behavioural economic tactics; whereby reducing the availability, accessibility, and associated cues to innutritious foods (or alternatively increasing these cues towards healthier foods), can lead to improved food choice [4,5]. The precise role of other moderating mechanisms such as stress and the affective components of food choice have far been overlooked
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