Promoting Healthy Eating Behaviors by Incentivizing Exploration of Healthy Alternatives

מאת: Shavit Y., Roth Y., Teodorescu K.
פורסם ב: Frontiers in Nutrition
תיאור: Incentive-based intervention programs aimed at promoting healthy eating behaviors usually focus on incentivizing repeating the desired behavior. Unfortunately, even when effective, these interventions are often short-lived and do not lead to a lasting behavioral change. We present a new type of intervention program focused on incentivizing exploration of new healthy alternatives rather than incentivizing repeated healthy behaviors. This intervention aims to help participants find long-lasting “personal treasures” —new foods that are both healthy and tasty for them. Our field study included a final sample of 48 students with low or medium daily consumption of fresh salads. Participants in the control group received a fixed payment for completing the program, while the participants in the incentivized exploration group received a lower fixed fee for completing the task and a bonus for each new salad they tried. Results show that participants in the incentivized exploration group reported eating more salads even 1 year after the program ended compared to the participants in the control group. Though preliminary, our results paint a promising picture for the successful application of incentivizing exploration interventions to promote healthy lifestyle. © Copyright © 2021 Shavit, Roth and Teodorescu.
SDGs : SDG 03  |  יחידות: מדעי הרווחה והבריאות  | מועד: 2021 |  קישור