Abstract
Background
Little is known about the decision-making process of adults who choose to eat at fast-food
restaurants. Impulsivity is the concept that individuals value immediate rewards and
disregard future costs.
Objective
To determine the association between impulsivity and consumption of fast food among
employed adults and to explore their reasons for eating fast food.
Design
A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted; participants were recruited using
a mass electronic mailing.
Participants/setting
Four hundred seventy-eight adults employed in a university setting completed the survey.
Main outcome measures
The association between frequency of fast-food consumption and impulsivity was assessed.
Impulsivity is assessed by the area under the delay discounting curve (AUC). The AUC
is estimated by using a binary choice delay discounting task incorporating hypothetical
monetary rewards. Greater AUC reflects lower impulsivity.
Statistical analyses performed
Analysis of variance, Student’s t tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to measure unadjusted associations
among demographic variables, fast-food consumption, and AUC. Linear regression was
used to assess whether AUC was a significant predictor of having consumed fast food
in the past 7 days, controlling for age, total household income, and education.
Results
The majority (67%) of the participants reported eating one or more meals from a fast-food
restaurant or pizza place in the past 7 days. The mean number of meals was 2.8±2.5
per week among those who reported eating at a fast-food restaurant or pizza place.
Both fast-food consumption and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with greater
impulsivity. Controlling for age, total household income, and education level, fast-food
consumption was negatively related to AUC (P=0.017). The most commonly reported reasons for consuming fast food were convenience
and to socialize.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that greater impulsivity was associated with greater fast-food
consumption. Successful efforts to encourage healthful dietary behaviors might emphasize
methods to overcome impulsivity, such as reward substitution and precommitment.
Keywords
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Biography
K. B. Garza is an assistant professor, Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn, AL.
Biography
J. K. Owensby is a doctoral student, Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn, AL.
Biography
M. Ding is a doctoral student, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management, Auburn University College of Human Sciences, Auburn, AL.
Biography
C. A. Zizza is an associate professor, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management, Auburn University College of Human Sciences, Auburn, AL.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 19, 2015
Accepted:
May 6,
2015
Received:
May 19,
2014
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This research was funded by an intramural grant through Auburn University.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
