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Appetite self‐regulation: Environmental and policy influences on eating behaviors
Author(s) -
Schwartz Marlene B.,
Just David R.,
Chriqui Jamie F.,
Ammerman Alice S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.21770
Subject(s) - appetite , intervention (counseling) , set (abstract data type) , food choice , psychology , behavior change , consumer behaviour , pleasure , social marketing , public economics , marketing , social psychology , medicine , business , economics , computer science , psychotherapist , pathology , psychiatry , programming language
Objective Appetite regulation is influenced by the environment, and the environment is shaped by food‐related policies. This review summarizes the environment and policy research portion of an NIH Workshop (Bethesda, MD, 2015) titled “Self‐Regulation of Appetite—It's Complicated.” Methods In this paper, we begin by making the case for why policy is an important tool in efforts to improve nutrition, and we introduce an ecological framework that illustrates the multiple layers that influence what people eat. We describe the state of the science on how policies influence behavior in several key areas: the federal food programs, schools, child care, food and beverage pricing, marketing to youth, behavioral economics, and changing defaults. Next, we propose novel approaches for multidisciplinary prevention and intervention strategies to promote breastfeeding, and examine interactions between psychology and the environment. Results Policy and environmental change are the most distal influences on individual‐level appetite regulation, yet these strategies can reach many people at once by changing the environment in which food choices are made. We note the need for more research to understand compensatory behavior, reactance, and how to effectively change social norms. Conclusions To move forward, we need a more sophisticated understanding of how individual psychological and biological factors interact with the environment and policy influences.