Canova Luigina, Capasso Miriam, Bianchi Marcella, Caso Daniela
Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Psychol Health. 2025 Apr 26:1-27. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2025.2496228.
The Mediterranean diet (MD) is recognized as one of the healthiest and most sustainable dietary patterns worldwide. This study combines the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) alongside past MD adherence behavior to predict MD adherence among young and adult Italians.
Using a two-wave prospective design, 706 participants (Women = 60.5%, mean age = 31.82) completed measures of past behavior, SDT and TPB variables at baseline (T1) and reported their adherence behavior to MD two weeks later (T2).
Results revealed that both intention and past adherence to MD predicted actual adherence. In turn, affective attitude, descriptive norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and autonomous motivation were positively associated with intention. Past adherence further predicted autonomous motivation, affective attitude, and PBC, and indirectly influenced MD adherence at T2 through its effect on these factors and intention. Finally, invariance tests showed no differences between women and men and between student and non-student samples.
Overall, our findings support the integration of TPB and SDT, emphasizing the need for interventions that address both conscious decision-making and established dietary habits, acknowledging the multifaceted nature of dietary behavior change.
地中海饮食（MD）被公认为全球最健康、最具可持续性的饮食模式之一。本研究将计划行为理论（TPB）和自我决定理论（SDT）与过去的MD依从行为相结合，以预测意大利年轻人和成年人对MD的依从性。
采用两波前瞻性设计，706名参与者（女性占60.5%，平均年龄 = 31.82岁）在基线（T1）时完成了过去行为、SDT和TPB变量的测量，并在两周后（T2）报告了他们对MD的依从行为。
结果显示，MD的意图和过去的依从性都能预测实际的依从性。反过来，情感态度、描述性规范、感知行为控制（PBC）和自主动机与意图呈正相关。过去的依从性进一步预测了自主动机、情感态度和PBC，并通过对这些因素和意图的影响间接影响了T2时的MD依从性。最后，不变性检验表明，女性和男性之间以及学生和非学生样本之间没有差异。
总体而言，我们的研究结果支持TPB和SDT的整合，强调需要采取干预措施，既要解决有意识的决策问题，也要改变既定的饮食习惯，认识到饮食行为改变的多面性。
