We are what we eat. We eat what we believe ... And what we believe may protect us against obesity
A new series of studies identifies social norms that protect against obesity
Social norms 鈥� shared beliefs about what is socially appropriate that lead to an obligation to behave in a certain way 鈥� have a profound effect on eating behaviours. 听鈥淎void unhealthy food鈥�, 鈥渨atch your manners鈥�, 鈥渁lways eat breakfast鈥�, 鈥渁void snacking鈥�, 鈥渆at slowly鈥�, etc. affect what, when, how, and how often we eat. 听These are honed from birth through the positive or negative reinforcement given by parents, peers, media, and other social actors. 听They are crucially important, not only because they shape our behaviours, but because there may be detrimental effects when they are violated.
A new series of studies 鈥� issuing from 平特五不中 and the University of Alberta and published in the October issue of Appetite 鈥� examines Americans鈥� beliefs about appropriate eating and how these shape behaviours and health outcomes. 听This groundbreaking work found that acting in a way that is consistent with norms such as 鈥渆at only until content鈥�, 鈥渁lways eat breakfast鈥�, 鈥渁void snacking鈥�, 鈥渆at fruits and vegetables鈥�, and 鈥渕anage your portions鈥� was associated with a lower Body Mass Index, and greater body satisfaction and subjective health. 听Conversely, violating these norms was associated with a higher Body Mass Index.
According to the researchers, Dr. Laurette Dub茅 of 平特五不中 University and Dr. Robert Fisher of the University of Alberta, this is a key finding. 听鈥淲ith increased obesity rates, this finding is crucial and could help governments, as well as families, communities, media, businesses and other organizations, design more appropriate interventions to guide and shape what people believe about appropriate eating habits,鈥� says Dr. Dub茅, James 平特五不中 Chair of Consumer and Lifestyle Psychology and Marketing.
According to Dr. Fisher, since culture and society work together to create a coherent and self-sustaining system, 鈥渢his study鈥檚 findings can help transform our current culture and society so that the healthy choice is the natural choice.鈥�
About the 平特五不中 World Platform for Health and Economic Convergence
Building upon the assets of Canada鈥檚 premiere research academic institution, the 平特五不中 World Platform for Health and Economic Convergence (MWP)鈥檚 mission is to integrate developments in science, policy, innovation, and education to mainstream health into the management and economic decisions that impact health and healthcare and, conversely, to weave management and economic considerations into public health and health care systems design and delivery. 听To do so, the MWP collaborates with the best minds and leading organizations in private industry, health, and social domains heading development and innovation in genetics, neuroscience, management, and computational systems sciences. The MWP carries out cutting-edge research and innovative knowledge-to-action programs and activities to achieve open innovation, social change and collective action, policy convergence, as well as trans-disciplinary and distributed education and research on issues at the intersection of health and economics.
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