Examining dietary self-talk content and context for discretionary snacking behaviour: a qualitative interview study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Discretionary snack consumption negatively impacts weight management and health.
• Individuals often struggle with temptation despite intentions to avoid unhealthy snacks.
• Dietary self-talk, or inner speech about food choices, may resolve this conflict.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the content and context of dietary self-talk preceding discretionary snack consumption.
• To identify common justifications and situational factors influencing snack choices.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative semi-structured interviews utilizing Think-Aloud methods.
• Remote interviews with 18 participants (ages 19-54).
• Thematic analysis of interview transcripts and a list of 37 self-talk items.

Main Results:

• All participants frequently used dietary self-talk, endorsing all 37 items.
• Top reasons included 'special occasion,' 'physical activity,' and 'hunger.'
• Key contextual themes were reward, social factors, convenience, automaticity, and hunger.

Conclusions:

• Identified 40 reasons and contextual factors for discretionary snacking via dietary self-talk.
• Dietary self-talk content, frequency, and automaticity varied among individuals.
• Modifying dietary self-talk shows promise for behavior change interventions targeting snacking.