title: Candy or apple? How self-control resources and motives impact dietary healthiness in women.
abstract: People can choose between a virtually endless array of food items rising the question, which factors determine healthy or unhealthy food choice. The present study examines the impact of two contrasting motives for food choice (affect regulation and body weight control) and self-regulatory competences on healthy eating within a sample of women (N=761). The data show that a relative lack of self-regulatory resources combined with a high tendency to regulate negative affect through comfort eating was associated with an unfavorable dietary pattern. Accordingly, a healthy dietary pattern requires not only self-regulatory capacities but also a facilitating motive structure.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Assessment and Health Psychology, University of Konstanz, Box 47, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany. gudrun.sproesser@uni-konstanz.de
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sproesser
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strohbach
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schupp
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Renner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000368:Aged; D002182:Candy; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D027845:Malus; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult