| dc.description.abstract | Objectives: This study, which partly replicates a study by De Ridder, De Wit en Adriaanse (2007), explored in what way people adopt spontaneous implementation intentions to either increase fruit consumption or decrease snack consumption. This study further explored factors contributing to formulating spontaneous implementation intentions and the effectiveness of these action plans.
Design: Measures of intention, motivation, restraint eating, implementation intentions and self control were completed by students of the Hogeschool Utrecht (n= 76). Measures of BMI and habit served as control variables. Furthermore, students had to keep an eating diary of healthy and unhealthy snacks during 7 days, which was used to measure actually fruit- and snack consumption.
Results: barely any spontaneous implementation intentions were formulated. Contributing factors to formulating spontaneous implementation intentions were extrinsic motivation (in regard to increasing fruit consumption) and intention and habit ( in regard to decreasing snack consumption). Fruit consumption was predicted by habit and intention, snack consumption was predicted by habit only. Fruit- and snack consumption were neither predicted by formulated implementation intentions.
Conclusions: In this study, spontaneous implementation intentions have not been an effective tool to increase fruit consumption or decrease snack consumption. Further study needs to be focused on quality of spontaneous action plans and its usefulness in daily practice. | |
