Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze, 27/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
Nutrients. 2023 Jun 17;15(12):2784. doi: 10.3390/nu15122784.
Shifting food choices towards sustainability entails the analysis of dietary behavior determinants. This study aimed to explain and predict the intention to follow a sustainable diet and its adoption in a representative sample of adults ( = 838) in Italy. An online survey based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was developed. The adoption of a sustainable diet was measured as self-perceived behavior, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), and food consumption frequencies. Psychometric analysis and correlations between attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) with both intention and behavior assessments were evaluated. Structural equation models were used to test whether and to what extent attitude, subjective norms, and PBC explained intention and behavior. Significant associations were found between TPB constructs and the behavior measures underlining the main role of intention and PBC in affecting behavior. The applied TPB models explained behavioral intention at most (78%). The results suggested promising interventions in narrowing the attitude-behavior gap to encourage specific adult population groups in Italy to adopt virtuous food consumption habits. Beside the implementation of price mechanism strategies, educational initiatives to increase awareness about food and diet sustainability issues and the reinforcement of the perceived control on food consumption at the individual level are recommended.
向可持续性的食物选择转变需要分析饮食行为的决定因素。本研究旨在解释和预测意大利代表性成年人样本中遵循可持续饮食的意愿及其采用情况（n=838）。本研究采用基于计划行为理论（TPB）的在线调查。可持续饮食的采用被衡量为自我感知的行为、对地中海饮食（MD）的遵守情况和食物消费频率。评估了态度、主观规范和感知行为控制（PBC）与意图和行为评估之间的心理测量分析和相关性。结构方程模型用于测试态度、主观规范和 PBC 是否以及在何种程度上解释了意图和行为。在强调意图和 PBC 在影响行为方面的主要作用的同时，还发现了 TPB 结构与行为措施之间的显著关联。应用的 TPB 模型最多可以解释行为意图（78%）。结果表明，有希望采取干预措施来缩小态度-行为差距，以鼓励意大利特定成年人群体采用有益的食物消费习惯。除了实施价格机制策略外，还建议开展提高对食物和饮食可持续性问题认识的教育举措，并加强个人层面上对食物消费的感知控制。
