Although consumers have been advised to reduce their dietary fat intak
e, there has been no change in average fat intake (as a percentage of
energy) in the United Kingdom over the past decade. In the study repor
ted in this paper, the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) was us
ed to investigate consumers' attitudes, subjective norm and perceived
control as they relate to reducing fat in the diet. Information about
current fat intake was also obtained using a Food Frequency Questionna
ire, for all 390 respondents who were then classified into tertiles ba
sed on their actual and perceived current fat intakes. For the total s
ample, subjective norm was the most important predictor of intentions
to reduce fat intake and to carry out specific dietary changes. This w
as also the case for people consuming a low fat diet and for those who
perceived their fat intake as low, while attitude was the best predic
tor of intention for people consuming a high fat diet and for those wh
o perceived their fat intake as high. Perceived control was found to b
e a poor predictor of intention in all cases.