Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Measuring Oral Fatty Acid Thresholds, Fat Perception, Fatty Food Liking, and Papillae Density in Humans
Published on: June 4, 2014
Do beliefs, knowledge, and perceived norms about diet and cancer predict dietary change?
R E Patterson1, A R Kristal, E White
1Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash 98104, USA.
Objectives:
We hypothesized that belief in an association between diet and cancer, knowledge of dietary recommendations and food composition, and perceived norms would predict healthful dietary changes.
Methods:
Data are from a population-based sample of Washington State residents (n = 607). Psychosocial constructs measured at baseline (1989/90) were used to predict changes in dietary practices, fat intake, fiber intake, and weight over 3 years.
Results:
Adults who strongly believed in a diet-cancer connection decreased the percentage of energy consumed from fat by 1.20 percentage points and increased fiber intake by 0.69 g, compared with decreases of 0.21 percentage points and 0.57 g among those with no belief (P < .05). Adults with knowledge of the National Cancer Institute fat and fiber goals decreased their percentage of energy from fat by 1.70 points compared with an increase of 0.27 points among those with little knowledge (P < .05). Food composition knowledge and perceived pressure to eat a healthful diet were not significant predictors of changes in fat intake, fiber intake, or weight.
Conclusions:
Interventions that increase the public's beliefs in diet and health associations and communicate diet recommendations can encourage healthful dietary change.
Related Concept Videos
Cause and Effect
Confirmation Biases
Social Proof
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
Psychoneuroimmunology: Diabetes and Cancer

