This document summarizes a study that aimed to determine factors that predict healthy eating among Dutch adults. The study used a survey to measure participants' sense of coherence, individual resources like nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy, and social and environmental resources. It found that being female, living with a partner, having a strong sense of coherence, cognitive restraint of eating, and self-efficacy for healthy eating were significant predictors of a high healthy eating score. Surprisingly, nutrition knowledge and socioeconomic status did not significantly predict diet quality. The study suggests psychosocial factors may play a more important role than broader contextual factors in determining healthy eating.

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Profiling healthy eaters:
determining factors that
predict healthy eating
practices amongst Dutch
adults
Emily Swan, MS, RDa,, Laura Bouwman, PhD, RDa ,
Gerrit Jan Hiddink, PhDb, Noelle Aarts, PhDb c,
Maria Koelen, PhDa
aHealth and Society ChairGroup - WageningenUniversity
bStrategic CommunicationChairGroup - WageningenUniversity
cAmsterdam School for Communication Research,University of
Amsterdam
World Congressof Public Health Nutrition
11th November2014 Cran Canaria
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Background
Percentage of people that following nutrition guidelines*
No
Yes
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Antonovsky’s Salutogenic Framework
Aaron Antonovsky, PhD
1923-1994
Salus = Latin for ‘health’
Genesis = Greek for ‘origins’
Salutogenesis = the origins of
health
Studies factors that support health
development
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• Sense of coherence (SOC)
– Overall life orientation
• Generalized resistance resources (GRRs)
– Health-promoting resources
SOC + GRRs support healthy life orientation
Constructs from salutogenesis
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To determine if a combination of factors, including SOC
and individual, social- and physical-environmental
resources, relates to healthy eating practices in Dutch
adults.
Study aim
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• Survey research
• LISS research panel participants ≥18y (n=703)
• Response rate 94%
• Completed January 2013
Methods

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• SOC (measured with 13-item SOC scale)
• Individual resources
– Socio-demographic and health factors
– General nutrition knowledge
– Cognitive restraint of eating
– Situational self-efficacy for healthy eating
– Internally-oriented health locus of control
Survey factors
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• Social and physical-environmental resources
– Social support and discouragement for healthy eating
– Collective efficacy
– Affordability, availability and accessibility of healthy
foods
Survey factors
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• Scores calculated based on self-reported intake of
– vegetables; fruit; whole-wheat products; fish
• Scores ranged from 4-20
• Analysis focused on participants with scores 15+
Dietary score
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• Chi-Square + Mann Whitney-U tests
– Test for differences between groups
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis
– Set of factors that predict high dietary score
Statistical analysis
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Significant predictors high dietary score OR (95% CI) p-value
Being female 1.66 (1.16-2.37) 0.006**
Lives with a partner 1.56 (1.01-2.42) 0.045*
Strong SOC 1.66 (1.15-2.36) 0.007**
Cognitive restraint of eating 1.02 (1.01-1.04) 0.013*
Self-efficacy for healthy eating 1.01 (1.001-1.01) 0.009*
Non-significant predictors high dietary score OR (95% CI) p-value
χ Age 1.01 (.99-1.03) 0.081
χ Employment status 0.74 (0.50-1.11) 0.149
χ Income level 1.00 (.99-1.00) 0.106
χ Nutrition knowledge 1.12 (0.98-1.29) 0.101
χ Lower social discouragement for healthy eating 0.99 (0.96-1.02) 0.383
χ Neighborhood collective efficacy 1.01 (0.99-1.03) 0.466
χ Affordability, accessibility, availability of healthy foods 0.99 (0.97-1.01) 0.255
*Significance at the level of <.05; ** Significance at the level of <.01
Main results
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• Interestingly nutrition knowledge and SES were not
significant!
• Deeper psychosocial factors seem to have a more
important role than broader contextual factors.
• Next phase: qualitative research with healthy eaters
Discussion and conclusions

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Thank you for your attention
Questions?
emily.swan@wur.nl