Collin R. Payne

Internal and External Cues of Meal Cessation: The French Paradox Redux?

Objective: Our objective was to investigate whether people who use internal cues of satiation when eating a meal are likely to weigh less than people who instead rely on external cues. In addition to exploring the role that internal and external cues play in meal cessation, this study raises an overlooked explanation of the French paradox.

Obesity: can behavioral economics help?

BackgroundConsumers regularly and predictably behave in ways that contradict standard assumptions of economic analysis such that they make decisions that prevent them from reaching rationally intended goals. These contradictions play a significant role with respect to consumers’ food decisions and the effect these decisions have on their health.DiscussionFood decisions that are rationally derived include those that trade short-term gains of sensory pleasure (hedonic) for longer term gains of health and wellness (utilitarian). However, extra-rational food decisions are much more common. They can occur because of the contexts in which they are made—such as being distracted or pressed for time. In these contexts, heuristics (or rules of thumb) are used. Because food decisions are made with little cognitive involvement, food policies designed to appeal to highly cognitive thought (e.g., fat taxes, detailed information labels) are likely to have little impact. Furthermore, food marketing environments influence not only what foods consumers buy but also how much. As a general principle, when individuals do not behave in their own interest, markets will feed perverse and sub-optimal behaviors.ConclusionGiven the limited ability of individuals to retain and use accurate health information coupled with varying levels of self control, profit motivations of marketers can become predatory—though not necessarily malicious. Alternative policy options that do not restrict choice are outlined, which enable consumers to make better decisions. These options allow for profit motivations of marketers to align with the long-term well being of the consumer.

“Is this a meal or snack?” Situational cues that drive perceptions

What determines whether a person perceives an eating occasion as a meal or snack? The answer may influence what and how much they eat on that occasion and over the remainder of the day. A survey of 122 participants indicated that they used food cues (such as the food quality, portion size, perceived healthfulness, and preparation time) as well as environmental cues (such as the presence of friends and family, whether one is seated, and the quality of napkins and plates) to determine if they were eating a meal rather than a snack. Implications for dieters and for health professionals are provided.

Exploring how calorie information and taxes on high-calorie foods influence lunch decisions

BACKGROUND The potential combined effects of public policy tools-such as calorie information and taxes on highly caloric foods-on purchasing behavior are rarely studied. Furthermore, these tools are rarely studied in the context of individual differences (eg, dietary restraint), which may play a key role in their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE The current study tests the combined effects of providing calorie information and increased taxes on the total number of calories purchased for lunch. Furthermore, these public policy tools were investigated in the context of high- and low-restrained eaters. DESIGN University students (n = 178) had to choose lunch from a menu 3 different times. The prices for the high-calorie foods on the menu increased each time (125% and 150% of base price). In addition, there were 3 between-subject factors: budget (high compared with low), calorie-information (calorie information compared with no calorie information), and dietary restraint. RESULTS Elasticity analyses show a tax × calorie information interaction. A price increase for the high-calorie foods reduced the percentage of calories chosen for lunch but only in the absence of calorie information. CONCLUSIONS A tax of ≥25% on high-calorie foods may decrease the demand for calories and could be a good policy measure to decrease the prevalence of obesity. However, calorie information seems to interfere with the effect of a tax on high-calorie foods.

Eating Behavior and Obesity at Chinese Buffets

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the eating behaviors of people at all‐you‐can‐eat Chinese buffets differs depending upon their body mass. The resulting findings could confirm or disconfirm previous laboratory research that has been criticized for being artificial.

Can Branding Improve School Lunches

As school food services outsource more and more of their food preparation, the processed products they offer to school children are increasingly branded. There is a legitimate concern that branding will make the more indulgent foods even more attractive. Conversely, a promising question is: could branding more dramatically improve the attractiveness of healthier foods? Brands, characters, and icons attract the attention and interest of children. Pairing favorable icons with healthy food is not widely used, yet a low cost way to make healthy food more salient could be to associate it with a favorable icon.

Just thinking about exercise makes me serve more food. Physical activity and calorie compensation.

Based on the findings demonstrating compensation between mental effort and subsequent food consumption, this article focuses on the compensatory mechanism between thinking about physical activity and food intake. Results from a field experiment indicate that simply reading about physical activity leads participants to compensate by serving themselves more snacks. The amount of snacks served was mediated by biased calorie estimation. Additionally, we also manipulated the way physical activity was perceived (as tiring exercise or as a fun activity). Although results suggest extra consumption when exercise is perceived as tiring, differences were not statistically significant.

Consequences of Belonging to the 'Clean Plate Club'

How does encouraging a child to “clean” his or her plate influence eating behavior away from home? Parents who insist that their child clean his or her plate may be asserting excess control that could backfire if it inhibits the development of their child’s self-control around food. If this is true, children who have been conditioned to clean their plate may end up requesting more food when excess controls do not exist, such as when they are away from home.

Wine Promotions in Restaurants: Do Beverage Sales Contribute or Cannibalize?

A controlled field study of wine promotions in a mid-priced chain restaurant generated three key findings: (1) selected wine recommendations increased sales by 12 percent, (2) food-wine pairing recommendations increased sales by 7.6 percent, and (3) wine tastings increased sales by 48 percent. In general, 69 to 87 percent of the increase in sales of promoted wines come from diners who would likely have ordered a nonpromoted wine. This means that 13 to 31 percent of the increase come from diners who would have otherwise ordered liquor, beer, and nonalcoholic drinks. Specific implications for responsible restaurateurs are outlined, including the caveat to not cannibalize sales by promoting a lower-margin, lower-profit wine.

The 100-Calorie Semi-Solution: Sub-Packaging Most Reduces Intake Among the Heaviest

This study addresses two questions about sub‐packaging: (i) Do 100‐calorie packages reduce the calorie intake of overweight individuals differently than normal‐weight individuals? (ii) Do they enable individuals to accurately track intake? Thirty‐seven undergraduates were randomly given either four 100‐calorie packages of crackers or one 400‐calorie package of crackers to eat while watching television. The average participant ate 25.2% (75.1 calories) less when given four 100‐calorie packages of crackers than when given one 400‐calorie package (P = 0.006). In addition, much of this influence was driven by overweight participants whose intake decreased by 54.1%. However, all of the participants underestimated their consumption by 60% or more, indicating that sub‐packaging does not appear to increase ones accuracy in estimating how much is consumed. Smaller sized sub‐packaging most greatly benefits those who are overweight, yet it does so without making people more aware of how much they have eaten.