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. 2017;39(2):112-126.
doi: 10.1080/01973533.2017.1283503. Epub 2017 Feb 17.

Effects of Social Norms Information and Self-Affirmation on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Intentions and Behaviors

Carlos E Rosas  1 , Petrona Gregorio-Pascual  1 , Redd Driver  1 , Alyssa Martinez  1 , Stephanie L Price  1 , Cristal Lopez  1 , Heike I M Mahler  1
Affiliations

Effects of Social Norms Information and Self-Affirmation on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Intentions and Behaviors

Carlos E Rosas et al. Basic Appl Soc Psych. 2017.

Abstract

The separate and combined efficacy of a social norms and a self-affirmation intervention to motivate decreased sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption was examined in two experiments. College students were randomly assigned to receive information about SSB consumption risks, norms, both, or neither. In addition, participants performed either a self-affirmation or control task. Self-affirmation only weakly affected SSB consumption intentions and behaviors. However, participants in Experiment 2 who received risks information, norms information, or both reported greater SSB reduction intentions than did those who received no information. Two-weeks later, those who received both types of information reported more frequent behavior change preparations, and it appears this effect may have been partially mediated by the changes in intentions to reduce SSB consumption.

Keywords: intentions; self-affirmation; social norms; sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of participants who selected a sugar-sweetened soda, when offered a free beverage, as a function of information conditions. Note. Standard errors are represented by the error bars attached to each column.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean score on preparatory behaviors index as a function of information condition. Note. Standard errors are represented by the error bars attached to each column.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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