Self-efficacy, habit strength, health locus of control and response to the personalised nutrition Food4Me intervention study

Abstract

PurposeRandomised controlled trials identify causal links between variables but not why an outcome has occurred. This analysis sought to determine how psychological factors assessed at baseline influenced response to personalised nutrition.Design/methodology/approachWeb-based, randomised, controlled trial (RCT) was conducted across seven European countries. Volunteers, both male and female, aged over 18 years were randomised to either a non-personalised (control) or a personalised (treatment) dietary advice condition. Linear mixed model analysis with fixed effects was used to compare associations between internal and external health locus of control (HLoC), nutrition self-efficacy (NS-E) and self-report habit index (S-RHI) at baseline (N = 1444), with healthy eating index (HEI) and Mediterranean diet index (MDI) scores between conditions post-intervention (N = 763).FindingsAn increase in MDI scores was observed between baseline and six months in the treatment group which was associated with higher NS-E (p < 0.001), S-RHI (p < 0.001) and external HLoC (p < 0.001). Increase in HEI between baseline and six months in the treatment group was associated with higher NS-E (p < 0.001) and external HLoC (p = 0.009). Interaction between time and condition indicated increased HEI scores (p < 0.001), which were associated with higher S-RHI scores in the treatment than control group (p = 0.032). Internal HLoC had no effect on MDI or HEI.Originality/valuePsychological factors associated with behaviour change need consideration when tailoring dietary advice. Those with weaker habit strength will require communication focussed upon establishing dietary habits and support in integrating advised changes into daily routine. Information on habit strength can also be used to inform how progress towards dietary goals is monitored and fed back to the individual. Those with stronger habit strength are more likely to benefit from personalised nutrition.

Technology‐delivered personalized nutrition intervention on dietary outcomes among adults with overweight and obesity: A systematic review, meta‐analysis, and meta‐regression

“…Tables S4 and S5 reasonably show the lists of excluded full‐text articles and ongoing trials in various clinical trial registries. Eventually, a total of 46 RCTs in 52 articles 52–103 were included in published peer‐review journals ( n = 41) and unpublished theses or dissertations ( n = 5) 58,72,73,82,83,86 . There was substantial and perfect agreement ( κ = 0.83–0.88) between two independent reviewers on article selection, data extraction, risk of bias, and GRADE criteria.…”

MetaboVariation: Exploring Individual Variation in Metabolite Levels

“…There has been an increased interest in personalised healthcare, where an individual receives dietary advice tailored to their characteristics [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Omics technologies, such as metabolomics, metagenomics, proteomics and transcriptomics, have recently become highly relevant in pursuing these goals [ 25 ].…”

Food Insecurity during the Pandemic in South Korea: The Effects of University Students’ Perceived Food Insecurity on Psychological Well-Being, Self-Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction

“…Bandura [ 111 ] discovered the critical function of self-efficacy in people’s lives and disclosed that self-efficacy gives them confidence to change existing behaviors and enhances the possibility of creating better performances in the future [ 112 ]. Due to this hopeful and future-oriented nature, the notion of self-efficacy has been treated as significant in the healthcare industry to help patients recover [ 113 ], and it also draws a great deal of attention from many researchers for improving public health and welfare to this day [ 114 , 115 ].…”