Currently, a major concern in public health refers to the food choices that may lead to adverse health effects. Better understand the factors that determine food choice is paramount to even change the diet of the population.
Food choice, like any complex human behavior is influenced by many interrelated factors. Which brings us to eat or stop eating is, without doubt, the hunger and satiety, but what we choose to eat is not determined solely by physiological or nutritional needs.
Other factors that influence our choice are:
- The organoleptic properties of food such as taste, odor or appearance;
- Cognitive factors, social-emotional and likes and what not, knowledge and attitudes related to health and diet, and social context or habits-condition our choice to eat. Personal values, life circumstances (such as being married or living with someone), or skills (eg knowing how to cook), belief (on matters such as organic products and genetically modified) and perceptions (the supposed inability to carry a healthy diet) may be particularly important for some individuals;
- The economic, cultural and religious also restrict our choice. Education, ethnicity and availability, visibility or prices of products play an important role in our choice.
This multitude of factors shows that “healthy eating” which is the goal of public health campaigns is just one of many considerations taken into account when choosing foods.
Attitude to food and purpose of change
In a pan-European survey on consumer attitudes toward food, nutrition and health, found that the five main influences on food choice in all European member states are “quality / freshness’ (74%), ‘price’ (43%), “taste” (38%), “intention to eat healthy” (32%) and “what my family wants to eat” (29%). These are average figures obtained by considering all the European Member States, the results differed significantly from one country to another.
The women, the elderly and individuals with higher education believe that the health aspects of particular importance. Men most often selected the “flavor” and “habit” as factors in their choice. The “price” seems to be most important for the unemployed and pensioners.
In the same survey, 80% of subjects described healthy eating (defined as balance and variety) in a manner suggesting that nutrition messages are having some impact. This is reflected in some improvements in food trends. However, understanding the nutritional information and food does not necessarily lead to action. There must be a willingness to actually change personal behavior.
However, Europeans seem to feel the need to alter their eating habits, with 71% consider that their diet is already healthy enough. This confirms that healthy food and nutrition are not taken into account when choosing the food we eat.
Conclusion
What people eat depends not only on individual preferences, but is determined by circumstances that are essentially social and cultural rights. It is likely that different strategies are required for a change in the behavior of groups with different priorities. Therein lies the challenge for health professionals.
