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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Fat Preference: A Novel Model of Eating Behavior in Rats
Published on: June 27, 2014
Saturated fat consumption and the Theory of Planned Behaviour: exploring additive and interactive effects of habit
Gert-Jan de Bruijn1, Willemieke Kroeze, Anke Oenema
1Department of Communication Science, Amsterdam School of Communications Research ASCoR, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.j.debruijn@uva.nl <g.j.debruijn@uva.nl>
Abstract:
The additive and interactive effects of habit strength in the explanation of saturated fat intake were explored within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Cross-sectional data were gathered in a Dutch adult sample (n=764) using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses. Results showed that habit strength was a significant correlate of fat intake (beta=-0.11) and significantly increased the amount of explained variance in fat intake (R(2-change)=0.01). Furthermore, based on a significant interaction effect (beta=0.11), simple slope analyses revealed that intention was a significant correlate of fat intake for low levels (beta=-0.29) and medium levels (beta=-0.19) of habit strength, but a weaker and non-significant correlate for high levels (beta=-0.07) of habit strength. Higher habit strength may thus make limiting fat intake a non-intentional behaviour. Implications for information and motivation-based interventions are discussed.
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