Determinants of nutritional behaviour: a multitude of levers for successful intervention?

Nutritional behaviour is framed by biological, anthropological, economic, psychological, socio-cultural, and home economics related determinants and it is shaped by the individual situation. From a public health point of view, the outcome is often unsatisfactory, because it is associated with preventable cases of various diseases. This situation evoked the founding of the German Association for Nutritional Behaviour (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ernährungsverhalten, AGEV) which celebrated its 25th anniversary within the scope of the 10th Food Choice Conference in the summer of 2002 with a plenary session on 'Sensible policies for nutrition and life-style intervention'. One might assume that the many determinants of nutritional behaviour provide a whole set of means to intervene into people's food choices. But closer deliberations make clear that there are two important aspects that tend to hinder dietary changes: on the one hand, nutritional behaviour is characterized by many conflicts of its related determinants. In order to cope with them, people develop individual guiding strategies for food choice situations which are quite stable as soon as they proved their suitability. On the other hand, any dietary modification leads to certain gains (like increased health), but losses, as well (like decreased palatability). Thus, a sustainable change can only be expected, if its gains are evaluated higher than its losses. These aspects need to be carefully considered when designing nutrition and life-style related intervention concepts.