Siroty Matt B, Bittner Julia M P, Howell Jennifer L, Cheon Bobby K
Division of Population Health Research, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, California, USA.
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Apr;33(4):796-806. doi: 10.1002/oby.24247. Epub 2025 Mar 4.
Implicit associations, i.e., automatically activated attitudes and intuitions, may contribute to isolated food choices and body weight. Studies of food-related implicit associations have yielded mixed results and have not explored their role in eating behaviors or dietary patterns. We examined implicit associations toward the palatability and acceptability (vs. shame) of healthy food and their relationships with self-reported eating behaviors (eating in absence of hunger) and dietary patterns (fruit, vegetable, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption) and socioeconomic indicators.
Two US samples (i.e., Palatable Food, n = 11,504; and Acceptable Food, n = 12,128) from Project Implicit Health were analyzed. Implicit associations were measured with Implicit Association Tests. Linear and logistic regressions examined associations of implicit and related explicit self-reported responses (perceived healthy eating and acceptability of healthy food, respectively) with eating behaviors, dietary patterns, and socioeconomic indicators.
One-sample t tests revealed health-favoring implicit palatability and acceptability associations. Implicit associations predicted healthier self-reported eating behaviors and dietary patterns independent of explicit responses. There were inconsistent associations with socioeconomic indicators.
Health-favoring implicit food-related associations uniquely contribute to healthier eating behaviors and dietary patterns. These health-favoring associations could be a promising, yet underrecognized, target to promote healthier diets in the United States.
内隐联想，即自动激活的态度和直觉，可能会影响个体对食物的选择并导致体重增加。有关食物相关内隐联想的研究结果不一，且尚未探讨其在饮食行为或饮食模式中的作用。我们研究了对健康食物的适口性和可接受性（与羞耻感相对）的内隐联想，以及它们与自我报告的饮食行为（在不饥饿时进食）、饮食模式（水果、蔬菜和含糖饮料的摄入量）和社会经济指标之间的关系。
对来自内隐健康项目的两个美国样本（即适口食物样本，n = 11,504；可接受食物样本，n = 12,128）进行了分析。使用内隐联想测验来测量内隐联想。线性回归和逻辑回归分析了内隐联想以及相关的自我报告外显反应（分别为感知到的健康饮食和健康食物的可接受性）与饮食行为、饮食模式和社会经济指标之间的关联。
单样本t检验显示出对健康有益的内隐适口性和可接受性联想。内隐联想能够预测更健康的自我报告饮食行为和饮食模式，且不受外显反应的影响。与社会经济指标之间的关联并不一致。
对健康有益的食物相关内隐联想独特地促进了更健康的饮食行为和饮食模式。在美国，这些对健康有益的联想可能是一个有前景但尚未得到充分认识的促进健康饮食的目标。
