Automatic and voluntary processes influencing eating behaviour

Abstract

The presentations in this symposium aim to examine implicit and explicit determinants responsible in food evaluation, choice, and consumption. They provide important insights to understand and prevent overweight and obesity. The symposium will first discuss antecedents of behaviour and will continue with more applied interventions that can be implemented in the field. The first focus is on the automatic component, i.e., attentional and memory bias for (un)healthy food, which plays a pivotal role in subsequent behaviour. Secondly, we take a look at the more motivational determinants of healthy food consumption to get a better understanding of the explicit intentions of individuals. Subsequently, we discuss the properties of products (i.e. nutrition claims) that can influence (un) healthy food choice. Finally, interventions that change several aspects of the physical and social environment to effortlessly promote healthy food choices will be discussed. The current symposium debates several protective and harmful determinants to target in the field, based on different study designs (correlational/experimental studies, lab/field studies) that complement each other in the search for a more integrated model that aims to promote healthy eating behaviour. We hope to provide the audience with innovative ideas regarding a variety of study designs and new approaches intended to increase healthy food choices and behaviour.