| dc.description.abstract | Much of the information distributed by the diet and nutrition media
consists of unsubstantiated claims. Individuals who are particularly susceptible
to such sources are at risk for practicing food-related behaviours of
questionable benefit and potential harm. The present study examined whether
individuals high in dietary restraint, as measured by the Three Factor Eating
Questionnaire (TFEQ; Stunkard & Messick, 1985), or with an external locus
of control as measured by the Weight Locus of Control Scale ( Saltzer, 1982)
might be particularly susceptible to this information. Four scales were used to
measure different aspects of susceptibility to the diet and nutrition media.
These measures assessed the credibility given to commercial sources and to a
wider range of sources of health information (Worsley, 1989), beliefs about
the effects of food on behaviour (Wisocki & King, 1992), and surveyed
questionable eating behaviours in a measure which was developed for this
study.
One hundred and forty-seven female university students completed
these questionnaires and kept a 3-day record of their food and beverage
consumption. The Cognitive Restraint scale of the TFEQ was significantly
associated with a range of questionable eating behaviours (e.g. fad diets).
However, neither dietary restraint nor locus of control were predictive of perceived credibility of sources of health information, nor of beliefs about the
effects of foods on behaviour. These findings do not identify a clear profile of
individuals who are particularly susceptible to food-related information. Only
the Hunger Susceptibility scale of the TFEQ was related to the major food
consumption measures (calories, carbohydrates and fats). | |
