Background
Method
Participants
Stimuli
Seriesa | Photographs presented | Topic b | Survey questions |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Supermarket Aisles displaying snack foods | Recognition of the availability of different brands and varieties for a food item. | How would you describe the setting in each of these images? |
What comparisons can you make between these images? | |||
2 | Main meals (chicken chow mein, paella) | Recognition of across-meal variety (when having meals in a single day), and recognition of within-meal variety (when having a first and second course) | Please select the two meals that you would prefer. |
Desserts (lemon tart, vanilla cheesecake) | |||
Please explain why you have chosen these two meals. | |||
3 | Main meals with a varied proportion of the same two foods (fries and salad) | Recognition of within-meal variety (when having a combination of different foods within a single course) | What comparisons can you make between the images? |
4 | A ‘low variety’ savoury food (margherita pizza) | Recognition of within-meal variety (when having a combination of different sensory components within a single food item) | Which of the meals/foods would you prefer? Why? |
A ‘high variety’ savoury food (Mediterranean vegetable pizza) | |||
Which of the meals/foods would you expect to be more filling? Why? | |||
5 | A ‘low variety’ sweet food (vanilla cheesecake) | Recognition of within-meal variety (when having a combination of different sensory components within a single food item) | |
A ‘high variety’ sweet food (chocolate, toffee & honeycomb cheesecake) | |||
Which of the meals/foods displayed above would you expect to like more? Why? | |||
6 | Single product consisting of assorted chocolates presented with two labels c; a ‘low variety’ description on packaging (‘Chocolates’), and a ‘high variety’ description on packaging (‘Caramel chocolate buttons and milk chocolates with soft toffee, soft caramel, crisp biscuit and cereal centers’) | Recognition of variety within a single food item from an ingredient-focussed product description | Which label makes the food sound most appealing to you? Why? |
Which label makes the food sound more filling to you? Why? | |||
Which label is most likely to draw your attention to the product? Why? |
Procedure
Data analyses
Qualitative coding and analysis
Quantitative analysis of frequency of codes
Pilot study
Results
Participant characteristics
Demographics | Range | M (SD) |
---|---|---|
Age (years) | 18–82 | 28.5 (12.2) |
BMI (kg/m2) | 16.3–40.7 | 24.4 (4.8) |
Restraint a | 0.0–88.9 | 39.8 (20.4) |
Uncontrolled eating a | 3.7–100.0 | 45.9 (18.8) |
Emotional eating a | 0.0–100.0 | 44.4 (26.9) |
Main results
Meaning unit | Summarized meaning unit | Codes | Predefined category of variety | Theme |
---|---|---|---|---|
“162 and 215 contains chocolate, although 162 contains a wide variety, while 215 contains mainly one brand.” (P9) | Variety of brands available | Differences in brand/ product availability | Brand variety | Spontaneously referring to variety |
“I’d prefer to eat savoury food first and then sweet food. The savoury meal I chose looked the most appealing and the sweet food I [chose] looked the best.” (P37) | Preference for having savoury then sweet across meals | Preference for variety across meals | Across-meal variety | Justifying food choices with reference to variety |
“435 it has a lot more going on lots of colors and textures which seems like it would be more filling” (P100) | Food more filling with more textures/colours | Variety in a food influences expected fullness | Variety within a food | Justifying food expectations with reference to variety |
“I would define ‘food variety’ as a mixture of food groups; so having a balanced amount of each individual food [group] (e.g. carbohydrates, fats, dairy and vegetables etc.) but also different types of food within each food group; for example, take carbohydrates, not just eating bread but also pasta, rice and potatoes etc.” (P47) | ‘Food variety’ is having a balanced diet of foods belonging to different food groups | Defining variety across the diet | Dietary variety | Defining variety |
Theme 1 – spontaneously referring to variety
P72: Image 435 is more colourful and appetising to look at. There's variety and flavour on that pizza, in comparison to image 127 that just appears bland and unappetising.
P58: First of all two pictures are sweet snacks, chocolates. They have all the good brands together and stock different flavours of the same brands just as the savoury, crisps shelves. However, on photo 081 compared to 295, there is not much colour for the crisps and more colour can be seen in the chocolate shelves.
P115: All items come out of the ground, vary in colour and texture, depending on how the chips are cooked picture 621 may not be as healthy to eat as 991.
P183: 819, 420 and 337 are healthier but they also only give an impression of healthiness because they are not nutritionally balanced. […] Something else would need to be added to make the meal satisfying (ie you won't feel hungry again very shortly afterwards) and also more nutritionally sound. It is also not very appealing to the eye as it is all the one colour, and therefore does not particularly whet the appetite.
Theme 2 – justifying food choices with reference to variety
P128: After eating savoury food, it is nice to change to something sweet i.e. a dessert.
P165: 819 - because it contains 2 different things, so that [there] is different textures and tastes, I would find this more appealing [than] a plate that just had either chips, or just salad.
P169: I would prefer the food in the image 435 because I like it when a food has a variety of different ingredients.
P100: 338 and 202 look boring, not many colours that make it look appetising, also I wouldn't want to eat the same meal twice in one day.
P42: 621 because I like carbs but vegetables are something which I usually have to try and add in to my diet.
Theme 3 – justifying food expectations with reference to variety
P10: 435, because it has more flavours that way seemingly making it feel more filling, and also it most likely still has the same amount of cheese as 127, but additionally also has toppings.
P73: 435 does seem to contain more nutrients and taste. It may leave you wanting more, but overall presumably more filling.
P31: Ironically, despite having less ingredients on the pizza, i'd expect 127 to be more filling because it is just dough, cheese and tomato instead of a balance and mixture of many.
Theme 4 – directly defining ‘food variety’
P79: A good balance of food, from fruits and vegetables of a variety of colours, to grains and carbs, dairy, meat and protein and some sugary/high fat foods, similar to the food plate the government health guidelines used to promote.
P148: Having a wide variety of options ranging from different brands.
P131: Having 4 or more different meals a week.
P157: Food variety is, when I can choose from different mains, [different] appetisers and different [desserts], not only between [desserts] and mains for example.
P58: I would define food variety as having lots of different food groups in a meal and lots of different flavours, smells and textures.
P165: Food variety to me, means containing different ingredients, so a veggie pizza to me has a lot more variety than a cheese pizza because it has more than one item on it.