Questioning behavioural intentions increases both healthy and unhealthy snacking in three studies

Abstract

Background: Asking questions about behaviour has been found to increase subsequent behaviour performance. This question-behaviour effect has rarely been applied to health risk behaviours, despite suggestions that it may act to increase these behaviours. We report three studies which manipulate question focus toward healthy and unhealthy snacking and whether participants are asked about intentions to perform or not perform these behaviours. Methods: Three lab studies were carried out using participants from a University in the North of England (N = 302). Studies manipulated question wording of intention items to ‘doing’ vs ‘not doing’ behaviour and the specific behavioural focus on healthy vs unhealthy snacking. Behaviour was assessed using a food choice task and a week-long snack diary. Accessibility of attitudes toward snacking words was also assessed. Findings: A meta-analysis of the results from the three studies was carried out in Stata. Results supported overall positive effects of asking individuals about healthy snacking, g = .35, 95% CI [.15, .56] where questioning intentions increased this behaviour. Questions relating to unhealthy snacking increased unhealthy snack consumption, g = -.40, 95% CI [-.63, -.16]. No clear effects of attitude accessibility were found. There was no influence of whether questions related to ‘doing’ or ‘not doing’ behaviour, where both frames of intention question increased behaviour. Discussion: These three studies support an increase in both healthy and unhealthy behaviours based on the specific behaviour focused on in intention questions. This raises questions about the potential to unintentionally increase unhealthy behaviours by simply asking about them.