Fat consumption and attitudes towards food with a high fat content

A questionnaire on consumption of foods high in fat and attitudes towards these foods was completed by 518 subjects. The attitudes assessment followed the theory proposed by Fishbein & Ajzen (1975). The person's own feelings towards consumption of a type of food was found to be a good predictor of consumption, both for the individual type of food and for an index of the foods combined. Pressure from others was found to be less predictive of consumption. The degree of prediction did not vary between subjects grouped according to sex, age or social class. There were, however, differences in consumption and attitudes between these groups. Females were found to have lower consumption and more negative attitudes towards the high-fat foods. This was also true of the 26-45 year old group compared with both younger and older subjects. No differences were found between different social classes.