Theory of Planned Behavior and Implementation Intentions

Diet quality has been associated with a variety of chronic diseases including obesity. One measure that has been studied as an indicator for diet quality is fruit and vegetable intake. Although the US government has suggested that American's increase their intake of fruit and vegetables, epidemiological data suggest that most Americans have not been successful doing do, with the strongest disparity seen in people of low socioeconomic status (SES). This disparity in fruit and vegetable intake is thought to be the result of both individual and environmental factors that influence this health behavior. To help decrease the disparate rise in incidence of chronic disease in people of low SES, effective, cost-efficient and easy to implement interventions to improve fruit and vegetable intake and diet quality are needed.

Theoretical models of health behavior change have been successfully used in research targeting individual factors associated with health behaviors. One theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and a proposed extension of this model (implementation intentions) have been shown to be effective to increase fruit and vegetable intake in (mostly) white adults of average socioeconomic status. It is not know whether an implementation intention intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake would be effective in women who are of low socioeconomic status. The primary aim of this research is to study (using quantitative and qualitative analysis) an implementation intention intervention to produce a positive change in fruit and vegetable intake. We theorize that the setting of an implementation intention in this group will be effective, cost-effective, and easy to implement intervention to promote an increase in fruit and vegetable intake.