Abstract According to expectancy theory, people eat food that they expect will bring positive emotions. The present research aimed to identify food and non-alcoholic beverages UK adults most expected to bring positive emotions; test influences of high fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS) and branding on expectancies; and investigate associations of expectancies with diet quality and comfort eating (i.e. eating induced by negative emotions). A representative sample of UK adults (n 1203; M age = 47 years; 52 % women; 87 % white) viewed food and non-alcoholic beverage images and completed the Anticipated Effects of Food Scale-Brief, a food frequency questionnaire, and questions about comfort eating and sociodemographic background. We ranked means of positive expectancies, conducted multilevel modelling to test influences of HFSS and branding on expectancies and examined correlations among expectancies, diet quality and comfort eating. Participants more strongly expected eating branded HFSS (e.g. Cadbury Twirl chocolate) v. generic non-HFSS (e.g. prawn curry) would result in positive emotions [b = 0·10, se = 0·04, p = ·02, 95 % CI (0·02, 0·18)]. Greater positive expectancies for HFSS – branded and generic – were associated with worse diet quality, especially positive expectancies for ice cream sundaes, fizzy drinks and chocolate (rs = –0·14 to −0·19, ps < ·001). Greater positive expectancies for HFSS and negative expectancies for HFSS and non-HFSS were associated with more frequent comfort eating (rs = 0·08 to 0·30, ps < ·05). Targeting positive HFSS expectancies through food environment policy and behavioural programmes may be a promising strategy for improving diet quality and reducing comfort eating in the UK adult population. Adults who comfort eat may also benefit from challenging negative expectancies for all foods.
People living with severe mental illness experience substantial health inequalities and high rates of premature mortality, largely driven by modifiable lifestyle-related risk factors, including poor diet quality. Digital technologies may provide scalable and flexible opportunities to support healthier behaviours; however, few interventions have specifically targeted nutrition-related outcomes as a primary focus in this population. MindBia is a co-designed, web-based digital nutrition intervention consisting of six structured modules developed for individuals residing in high-support mental health hostels. The intervention was informed by prior studies with service users and mental health staff. This pilot study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the MindBia intervention over eight weeks. A mixed-method pre-post design will be employed. Participants will complete baseline and post-intervention assessments examining dietary behaviours, digital literacy, and general wellbeing. Engagement with the web-based application will be monitored using embedded usage analytics. Semi-structured interviews conducted post-intervention will explore participants’ experiences, perceived impact, and barriers to engagement. Findings from this pilot study will inform refinement of the MindBia web-based application and guide the design of a larger scale trial evaluating its overall effectiveness.
افراد مبتلا به اختلال روانی شدید با نابرابری‌های قابل توجه سلامت و نرخ بالای مرگ‌ومیر زودرس مواجه هستند که عمدتاً ناشی از عوامل خطر مرتبط با سبک زندگی قابل تغییر، از جمله کیفیت پایین رژیم غذایی است. فناوری‌های دیجیتال ممکن است فرصت‌هایی مقیاس‌پذیر و انعطاف‌پذیر برای حمایت از رفتارهای سالم‌تر فراهم کنند؛ با این حال، تعداد کمی از مداخلات به طور خاص پیامدهای مرتبط با تغذیه را به عنوان تمرکز اصلی در این جمعیت هدف قرار داده‌اند. MindBia یک مداخله تغذیه‌ای دیجیتال مبتنی بر وب است که با مشارکت کاربران خدمات و کارکنان سلامت روان، شامل شش ماژول ساختاریافته برای افراد ساکن در خوابگاه‌های سلامت روان با حمایت بالا طراحی شده است. این مطالعه مقدماتی با هدف ارزیابی امکان‌سنجی، مقبولیت و اثربخشی اولیه مداخله MindBia طی هشت هفته انجام می‌شود. از طرح پژوهشی ترکیبی پیش‌آزمون-پس‌آزمون استفاده خواهد شد. شرکت‌کنندگان ارزیابی‌های پایه و پس از مداخله را در زمینه رفتارهای تغذیه‌ای، سواد دیجیتال و سلامت عمومی تکمیل خواهند کرد. میزان مشارکت با برنامه مبتنی بر وب از طریق تحلیل‌های کاربری تعبیه‌شده پایش می‌شود. مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته پس از مداخله به منظور بررسی تجارب شرکت‌کنندگان، تأثیر ادراک‌شده و موانع مشارکت انجام خواهد شد. یافته‌های این مطالعه مقدماتی به اصلاح برنامه مبتنی بر وب MindBia و هدایت طراحی کارآزمایی بزرگ‌مقیاس برای ارزیابی اثربخشی کلی آن کمک خواهد کرد.
