Social ideological influences on reported food consumption and BMI

Wei C Wang,Anthony Worsley,Everarda G Cunningham

doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-20

Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between ideological beliefs, perceptions of the importance of health behaviours, health attitudes, food consumption, and Body Mass Index (BMI). A behavioural model was hypothesized based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975).MethodsA survey was conducted among shoppers aged between 40 and 70 years at Eastland Shopping Centre, Melbourne, Australia. The hypothesized model was tested with this empirical data (n = 410) for younger (n = 151) and older (n = 259) age groups using structural equation modelling.ResultsThe findings generally support the study hypotheses. For both groups, egalitarianism had a direct and positive influence on perceptions of the importance of health behaviours. Materialism and masculinity impacted negatively on health attitudes, which positively influenced importance of health behaviours. Perceptions of importance of health behaviours impacted positively on the consumption of healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits, but negatively on consumption of unhealthy foods including sweets and fats. However, BMI was significantly influenced by the consumption of unhealthy foods (e.g., sugar and fats) only for the younger age group. Hence, the associations between beliefs, attitudes, consumption behaviours, and BMI outcomes differed between younger and older age populations.ConclusionSocial ideological beliefs appear to influence health attitudes and thereafter, the consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods and BMI via different pathways.

Highlights

Current demographic trends indicate the presence of ageing populations in most industrialized countries [1]
The current study extends Fishbein and Ajzen's [18] model by including an assessment of the impact of egalitarianism, materialism, and masculinity on health attitude, the importance of health behaviours, food consumption behaviour, and Body Mass Index (BMI)
Relatively few responses on categories 4 and 5 for the items in the Materialism scale and the Masculinity scale resulted in positively skewed distributions, and the categories for these items were collapsed to form four, rather than five, response categories

Summary

Introduction

Current demographic trends indicate the presence of ageing populations in most industrialized countries [1]. The ageing population has been linked to the post World War II baby boom [2]. Baby boomers are classified as those born between 1946 and 1964 [3]. This generation has had a profound impact on society and the economy throughout all stages of their lives [4]. It will be imperative to prevent or ameliorate exposure to ill-health conditions and avoid (page number not for citation purposes). The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between ideological beliefs, perceptions of the importance of health behaviours, health attitudes, food consumption, and Body Mass Index (BMI). A behavioural model was hypothesized based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion