A Miyake

AH Mokdad

B Verplanken

BA Wilson

D Norman

DC Delis

DE Broadbent

F Faul

G Godin

I Ajzen

Julia L Allan

M Conner

Marie Johnston

N Cantor

Neil Campbell

P Sheeran

PA Hall

PM Gollwitzer

S Milne

S Orbell

Scottish Government Discussion Document

Scottish Office Report

Scottish Office White Paper

T Van Strien

University of Aberdeen

English

PubMed

Springer - Publisher Connector

Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action? The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults

Background: Despite the significant health benefits associated with eating healthily, diet is extremely difficult to change, with the majority of people who intend to eat more healthily failing to do so. Recent evidence has suggested that the ability to turn intentions into actions may be related to individual differences in one facet of executive control - cognitive inhibition (i.e. the ability to inhibit irrelevant information and suppress prepotent responses). The present study investigates the role of this and other executive processes (inhibition, task switching, planning and cognitive flexibility) in the translation of dietary intentions into action. In addition, as the literature suggests that weak executive control may be associated with hyper-responsivity to cues to action, the role of executive processes in susceptibility to environmental food cues and responses to If-Then plans designed to cue intended behaviour are investigated.  Methods: Future intentions about consumption of fruits and vegetables and snack foods will be measured in a sample of young adults. Actual consumption of the target foods will be recorded with computerised diaries over a subsequent 3-day period. Performance on a battery of established executive control tasks (Go-NoGo, Tower task, Verbal Fluency task and Trail-Making) will be used to predict the discrepancy between intended and actual dietary behaviour. In addition, executive control scores will be used to predict reported susceptibility to environmental food cues and benefit derived from the use of 'If-Then plans' designed to cue intended behaviour.  Discussion: Our findings will add to understanding about the role of executive control in translating intentions into actions and may demonstrate potential for future public health interventions. If participants with weak executive control are found to be less likely to eat as they intend than those with strong executive control, then interventions that reduce the load on these executive processes may increase chances of successful intention-behaviour translation. If those with weak executive control are found to be more responsive to cues to action they may also benefit more from the use of If-Then plans designed to cue intended behaviour

Allan, Julia L

Johnston, Marie

Campbell, Neil

Stirling Online Research Repository

Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action?: The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults

Stirling Online Research Repository (RIOXX)

Aberdeen University Research

Aberdeen: Pocket Questionnaire [computer program]. Aberdeen: Data Management Team;

Armitage CJ: Extending the theory of planned behavior: A review and avenues for further research.

Attention to action: Willed and automatic control of behavior.

Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome.

Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: Promoting motivation theory and implementation intentions.

Defares PB: The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) for assessment of restrained, emotional, and external eating behavior.

Erdfelder E: GPOWER: Apriori, post-hoc, and compromise power analyses for MS-DOS [computer program].

Fong GT: Temporal self-regulation theory: A model for individual health behavior. Health Psychol Rev

Gerberding JL: Actual causes of death in the United States,

Good intentions, bad habits and the effects of forming implementation intentions on behavior and cognition.

Implementation intentions and repeated behaviour: Augmenting the predictive validity of the theory of planned behavior.

Implementation intentions and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Pers Soc Psychol B

Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. Am Psychol

KR: The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and its correlates.

LJ: Executive function moderates the intention-behavior link for physical activity and dietary behavior. Psychol Health

Report: Eating for Health: A Diet Action Plan for Scotland.

Scottish Government Discussion Document: Better Health Better Care.

Scottish Office White Paper: Towards a Healthier Scotland – A White Paper on Health.

The Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System. San Antonio:

The theory of planned behavior: A review of its applications to health-related behaviors.

The theory of planned behavior.

The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex frontal lobe tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychol

Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action? : The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults

Springer

Crossref

https://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/1200/1/Allan_Why_do_people_fail_to_turn_good_intentions_into_action.pdf

Why do people fail to turn good intentions into action? : The role of executive control processes in the translation of healthy eating intentions into action in young Scottish adults

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Springer - Publisher Connector

Stirling Online Research Repository

Stirling Online Research Repository (RIOXX)

Aberdeen University Research

Springer

Crossref

Springer - Publisher Connector