Lorena Martin
University of California San Diego , USA
Title: Using Evaluative Conditioning to Make Better Food Choices for Public Health
Biography
Biography: Lorena Martin
Abstract
Obesity is currently a world epidemic and major public health concern. Health behaviors such as physical activity, eating healthy, and making healthy food choices have been evidenced to reduce obesity and weight. However, the problem is the lack of adherence to participating in physical activity, eating healthy, and making healthier food choices. Evaluative conditioning is a technique used to modify attitudes and behaviors by pairing a target object with either a positive or negative stimuli. For instance, pairing an unhealthy food product or unhealthy food behavior (binging) with a negative image, object, or emotional situation such as food poisoning (related to adverse health consequences) has been shown to influence behavior. Likewise, the pairing of a healthy food with a positive image or stimuli such as a reward (attractive object) may influence food choice behavior. Research has shown evaluative conditioning to be effective in decreasing and increasing behaviors such as smoking, racial prejudice, and consumer purchases. Although, evaluative conditioning has rarely been applied to public health, recent research has shown evaluative conditioning to have promise in health behaviors such as increasing exercise adherence as well as food choices.