Abstract
There is interest in the hypothesis that social norms are a determinant of healthy
and unhealthy dietary practices. The objective of our work was to assess the weight
of evidence that experimentally manipulated information about eating norms influences
food intake and choice. This systematic review of experimental studies examined whether
providing information about other peoples' eating habits influences food intake or
choices. To inform the review, three electronic databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and
the Social Sciences Citation Index) were searched during July 2012. A narrative approach
was used to synthesize studies that examined the influence of norms on food choice
and meta-analyses were used to synthesize the effect that informational eating norms
have on quantity of food consumed. Fifteen experimental studies were reviewed. There
was evidence that both high intake norms (Z=3.84; P=0.0001; standardized mean difference 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.20 to 0.63)
and low intake norms (Z=2.78; P=0.005; standard mean difference –0.35, 95% confidence interval –0.59 to –0.10) exerted
moderate influence on amounts of food eaten. There was consistent evidence that norms
influenced food choices; norm information indicating that others make low-energy or
high-energy food choices significantly increased the likelihood that participants
made similar choices. Information about eating norms influences choice and quantity
of food eaten, which could be used to promote healthy changes to dietary behavior.
Keywords
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Biography
E. Robinson is a research fellow, Institute of Psychology, Health, and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, England, and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England.
Biography
J. Thomas is a research fellow, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England.
Biography
S. Higgs is a reader, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England.
Biography
P. Aveyard is a professor, Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, England.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 02, 2014
Accepted:
October 28,
2013
Footnotes
Supplementary materials: Podcast available at www.andjrnl.org/content/podcast
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This project was not supported by an external funding body. One author was funded by The UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, part of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration Public Health Research: Centre of Excellence. Funding from British Heart Foundation; Cancer Research UK; Economic and Social Research Council; Medical Research Council; and the Department of Health, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
