Can Exercising and Eating Healthy Be Fun and Indulgent Instead of Boring and Depriving? Targeting Mindsets About the Process of Engaging in Healthy Behaviors

Danielle Z Boles, Maysa DeSousa, Bradley P Turnwald, Rina I Horii, Taylor Duarte, Octavia H Zahrt, Hazel R Markus, Alia J Crum, Danielle Z Boles, Maysa DeSousa, Bradley P Turnwald, Rina I Horii, Taylor Duarte, Octavia H Zahrt, Hazel R Markus, Alia J Crum

Abstract

This paper investigates mindsets about the process of health behaviors-the extent to which people associate physical activity and healthy eating with appealing (pleasurable, fun, indulgent) versus unappealing (unpleasant, boring, depriving) qualities-to promote greater engagement. Study 1 (N = 536) examined how mindsets about physical activity and healthy eating relate to current and future health behavior. Study 2 (N = 149) intervened in actual fitness classes to compare the effects of brief appeal-focused and health-focused interventions on mindsets about physical activity and class engagement. Study 3 (N = 140) designed nutrition education classes that emphasized either the appeal or the importance of fruits and vegetables for health and compared its effects on mindsets about healthy eating and actual fruit and vegetable consumption. Holding more appealing mindsets about health behaviors predicts subsequent physical activity and healthy eating (Study 1). An intervention targeting mindsets about the appeal of physical activity promotes greater participation in fitness classes than emphasizing the importance of meeting activity guidelines (Study 2). Meanwhile, interventions targeting mindsets about the appeal of healthy eating increases in-class fruit and vegetable selection more than emphasizing the importance of eating nutritious foods (Study 3), however additional work is needed to sustain such changes in eating behavior. These studies suggest mindsets about the process of health behaviors can be influential and changeable factors in motivating physical activity and healthy eating.

Keywords: eating behavior; health; intervention; mindset; physical activity.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2021 Boles, DeSousa, Turnwald, Horii, Duarte, Zahrt, Markus and Crum.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Printed brochures for appeal-focused (left) and health-focused conditions (right).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Change in MPH-physical activity, class attendance, and enrollment in future fitness class as a function of condition. Black lines/bars represent the appeal-focused condition, gray lines/bars represent the health focused condition. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Class attendance is the mean percentage of sessions attended out of the total number of sessions. Enrollment in future fitness class is the percentage of participants who indicated “Yes” to taking a class the following quarter.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
MPH-healthy eating and in-class and self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption as a function of condition. Black lines/bars represent appeal-focused condition, gray lines/bars represent health focused condition. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Change in MPH-healthy eating partially mediates effect of condition on the frequency of recreating the healthy smoothie recipe. †p < 0.10, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001.

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Source: PubMed

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