The Effects Of The Home Food Environment On Habits Towards Foods

Authors

• Demetria R. Pizano, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Advisor(s)

Gareth Dutton

Committee Member(s)

Camille Worthington
Olivio Clay

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Department (new version)

Psychology

Date of Award

9-9-2024

Abstract

Habits are the learned and reinforced behavioral patterns that predict an individual's tendencies to engage in an action in their environment (Gardner, de Bruijn & Lally, 2011). Behaviors consistently triggered by an environmental context, such as a home, allow the formation of habitual responses towards health practices such as food consumption (van't Riet et al., 2011). The home food environment (HFE), the availability and access to healthy foods, influences an individual's food selection and consumption behaviors that ultimately shape their eating habits (Nilsen, Roback, Brostrom, & Ellstrom, 2012). Similarly, an individual's executive function (EF), which represents their cognitive ability to facilitate goal-directed action, is highly associated with dietary intake (Yang et al., 2018). While there is an understanding of how an individual's habitual behaviors and executive function separately impact their consumption, more information is needed on the association between habits and the HFE, and how this relationship is influenced by EF. This proposed study will examine the relationships between the HFE, food-related habitual behaviors, and EF of the caregivers enrolled in a home-delivered habit formation intervention targeting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. A total of 148 caregiver-child dyads were enrolled at baseline, though, only caregiver information will be utilized for the proposed project. Aim 1: To determine if caregivers' HFE, as it pertains to the availability of fruits and vegetables, is predictive of habit strength for fruit and vegetable consumption. Aim 2: To determine if caregivers' HFE, as it pertains to the availability of fried foods, is predictive of habit strength for fried food consumption. Aim 3: To determine if caregivers' HFE, as it pertains to the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), is predictive of habit strength for SSB intake. Exploratory Aim: To explore whether caregivers' EF moderates the relationships between HFE and habit strength for consumption of fruits, vegetables, fried foods, and SSB.

ProQuest ID

https://proquest.com/docview/3101887276