James F. Evans Collection, Ham, Mimeographed, 1994. 1 p. Presented at the Society for Nutrition Education, Portland, OR, July 16-20, 1994., A national random survey of some 2000 adults throughout Australia was undertaken to establish the significance of a number of psychosocial factors that have previously been incorporated in a number of health behavior models, but this time in relation to food choice and nutrient profile. The factors assessed included cognitive control, morale, social support, rigidity, self esteem, self efficacy, locus of control, motivation to comply, normative beliefs, cues to action, concerns for health, barriers to change and perceived susceptibility, benefits and severity of outcome. Dietary intake was assessed using an extensive food frequency questionnaire with over 200 foods, including portion sizes and food preparation information. Demographic details were also collected on the respondents. The survey was undertaken using a postal format and had a response rate of 71%. The psycho-social factors were more significant determinants of intake in men than in women. For men, the major factors affecting nutrient profile (intake of fat, fiber, sodium, cholesterol, and refined sugar) were a strong belief in the benefits accruing from dietary change, perceived severity, concerns for health and, to a lesser degree, barriers to change, cues to action and rigidity in relation to food practice. Locus of control, self esteem, social support and morale were not significantly linked to any of the nutrient measures. In men, susceptibility related only to fat intake; normative beliefs, cognitive control and motivation to comply related only to fiber intake and self efficacy related only to sodium intake. For women, perceived benefits and barriers to change were the salient factors with rigidity relating significantly to refined sugar intake only. In women, no other psychosocial factor was significantly linked in univariate analysis. Multivariate and path analysis are currently being undertaken to determine the potential interactions between the variables in the model.
