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ObjectiveAlthough sex differences in dietary habits are well documented, the etiology of those differences is still a focus of research. The present study examines the role of specific health beliefs regarding healthy amounts of food for food choice and its relation to sex, more specifically, the assumption that sex differences in food choices are mediated by differentiating health beliefs.Method212 German participants (44.3% female) aged 18–70 answered an online self-report questionnaire on their dietary habits and health beliefs, based on the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society.ResultsMost of the anticipated sex differences in food choice and some differences in health beliefs were found. The mediation hypothesis was partly supported, as the relationship between sex and fruit, vegetable, and fish consumption was mediated by the respective health beliefs. However, no mediation effects were found for meat, egg, cereal, and milk product consumption.ConclusionThe support for the mediation hypothesis aligns with previous findings and indicates that health beliefs might be an important pathway to fostering healthier food choices, especially for men. Nonetheless, sex differences in food choice were only partially mediated by sex differences in specific health beliefs, indicating that future studies might benefit from parallel mediation analyses to reveal the impact of other relevant factors influencing sex differences in food choice.

Retrospective self‐reports are commonly used to assess dietary intake. Yet, their use is criticized as it is unclear whether the underlying assumptions for valid self‐reports are met: Individuals have to consider the behavior of all days in the retention interval and weigh the behavior of all days equally. This study examines whether these assumptions for retrospective self‐reports are met and whether interindividual differences in self‐report performance are relevant regarding these assumptions. Ninety‐two participants aged 18–61 years participated in seven sequential 24‐h recalls and one retrospective 7‐day recall concerning their intake of fruit, vegetables, and eggs. A multiple linear regression approach was used to examine the relation between the daily reported dietary intake and the 7‐day recall. In the overall sample, the requirements for retrospective self‐reports were not tenable. Distinguishing good and poor self‐reporters based on a rational criterion showed that the requirements can be taken as given for good self‐reporters, whereas poor self‐reporters base their retrospective self‐reports mostly on recency effects. The underlying requirements for retrospective self‐reports appear to be met in two thirds of the sample, supporting the use of retrospective self‐reports to capture dietary behavior. Future research should investigate characteristics separating good from poor self‐reporters.

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Objectives: Schools that have partnerships with health services have shown improvements in attendance and academic performance. This study examined the effects of intersectoral educational training (IET) between the health and education sectors on students’ learning outcomes, emotional experiences and subjective task values. Design: In this experimental field study, students in the control group were taught about health by a regular team of teachers, the experimental group was taught by a teacher–general practitioner team. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected at three different points of time. Setting: The study was conducted with students aged between 13 and 14 years in three classes at a secondary school in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Methods: Data were collected on demographic variables as well as learning outcomes assessed by a multiple choice test. For the assessment of emotional experiences, the validated Achievement Emotions Questionnaire was used and for subjective task values a modified Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was employed. Quantitatively, descriptive statistics were calculated and correlation analyses were conducted to explore the association of positive emotions and task value with knowledge after the intervention and follow-up. Results: Over time, 69 of 76 participants (91%) completed all three surveys. Both groups showed significant and sustainable knowledge increases, but there were no significant differences between the groups in knowledge increase, positive emotions and task values. Conclusion: Health education in public secondary schools seems useful for increasing students’ health knowledge both in the short- and longer-term. However, future research will need to examine the potential effects of IET approaches on students’ cognitive and motivational experience.