Comparing Benefit-Seeking and Risk-Avoidance Psychoeducation: Does the Type of Psychoeducation Matter for Choosing Healthy Foods?

Abstract

In order to prevent future generations from becoming overweight and obese, this study aimed to investigate whether psychoeducation, and more specifically which type of psychoeducation, is capable of making people choose healthy foods over unhealthy foods. In this study, a distinction was made between psychoeducation aiming to strengthen benefit-seeking behavior and psychoeducation aiming to strengthen risk-avoidance behavior. The obtained results show that individuals chose healthy foods more often after receiving both types of psychoeducation than before receiving psychoeducation, indicating that psychoeducation in general seems to be a suitable tool in order to positively influence food choices. No difference was found between the two types of psychoeducation, indicating that no type was more effective in influencing people to eat healthier than the other.