MOTIVES UNDERLYING HEALTHY EATING - USING THE FOOD CHOICE QUESTIONNAIRE TO EXPLAIN VARIATION IN DIETARY-INTAKE

The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), which measures the reported impor tance to a given individual of nine factors underlying food choice, an d a food frequency questionnaire, were administered to 241 participant s, who were also required to classify their diet as either 'standard', 'low in red meat' or 'vegetarian'. Respondents describing their diet as low in red meat attributed greater importance to health, natural co ntent, weight control and ethical concern in their food choice than di d those who described their diets as standard, whereas vegetarians dif fered significantly from those with a standard diet only on the score for ethical concern. Differences between men and women and between stu dents and non-students in the frequency of consumption of a number of foods were shown to be mediated by differences in the importance attac hed to FCQ factors. Thus the generally healthier diets of women compar ed to men appeared to be accounted for by the greater importance attri buted by women to weight control, natural content and ethical concerns .