Reducing high calorie snack food in young adults: a role for social norms and health based messages

Eric Robinson1,2*, Ellis Harris2
, Jason Thomas2
, Paul Aveyard2,3 and Suzanne Higgs

Abstract
Background: Consumption of high calorie junk foods has increased recently, especially among young adults and
higher intake may cause weight gain. There is a need to develop public health approaches to motivate people to
reduce their intake of junk food.
Objective: To assess the effect of health and social norm messages on high calorie snack food intake (a type of
junk food) as a function of usual intake of junk food.
Design: In a between-subjects design, 129 young adults (45 men and 84 women, mean age = 22.4 years, SD = 4.5)
were assigned to one of three conditions: 1) a social norm condition, in which participants saw a message about
the junk food eating habits of others; 2) a health condition, in which participants saw a message outlining the
health benefits of reducing junk food consumption and; 3) a control condition, in which participants saw a nonfood related message. After exposure to the poster messages, participants consumed a snack and the choice and
amount of snack food consumed was examined covertly. We also examined whether usual intake of junk food
moderated the effect of message type on high calorie snack food intake.
Results: The amount of high calorie snack food consumed was significantly lower in both the health and the social
norm message condition compared with the control message condition (36% and 28%, both p < 0.05). There was
no significant difference in snack food or energy intake between the health and social norm message conditions.
There was no evidence that the effect of the messages depended upon usual consumption of junk food.
Conclusions: Messages about the health effects of junk food and social normative messages about intake of junk
food can motivate people to reduce their consumption of high calorie snack food.

http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/pdf/1479-5868-10-73.pdf