Assignment on

Different types of technology on eating behavior (factors that

influence food choice).

Submitted by Submitted to
Name: Nusrat Zahan Course teacher: Dr. Mahfuza Mubarak
Class ID: 1182 Associate professor, Dept. of Public
Reg. no: 47177 Health and Informatics,
Session: 2017-18 Jahangirnagar University

Course code: PHI 301

Course name: Public Health Nutrition
Date of submission: 07.04.2021

Department of Public Health and Informatics

Jahangirnagar University
1.Food choice

Food choice means how people decide on what to buy and eat. A complex set of
factors that differ from person to person and depend on culture, heritage and up-
bringing all influence food choice. Food choice may be influenced by cost, food
ingredients, personal preferences etc. It can also depend on our mood and other
factors such as appetite or being in a rush.

2.Major determinants of food choice

The key driver for eating is definitely hunger but food is not only by physiological or
nutritional needs. Some other factors that influence food choice include:

i. Biological determinants
➢ Hunger, appetite, taste

ii. Economic determinants

➢ Cost, income, availability

iii. Physical determinants

➢ Access, education, skills (e.g. cooking) and time

iv. Social determinants

➢ Culture, family, peers and meal patterns

v. Psychological determinants
➢ Mood, stress and guilt

vi. Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about food

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 Factors Affecting
Food Choices

2.1. Biological determinants

• Hunger and satiety:

Food choice depends on our physiological needs. The balance between hunger,
appetite stimulation and food intake is controlled by central nervous system.
Varying strength of satiety signals are generated by macronutrients i.e.
carbohydrate, proteins and fats.

• Palatability:
The experience of pleasure of eating a particular food is called palatability. If the
palatability increases, the food intake will also increase. Food variety can increase
food and energy intake.

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 • Sensory aspects:
Food choices are influenced by age and familiarity. Smell, appearance and texture
of food influence spontaneous food choice.

2.2.Economic determinants

• Cost accessibility:
The cost of food is a primary determinant of food choice. Low-income groups
consume unbalanced diets and have low intakes of fruit and vegetables.
Accessibility to shops also influence food choice. But being accessible alone
doesn’t increase purchase of fruit and vegetables.

2.3. Physical determinants

• Education and knowledge:

Accurate and consistent education and knowledge about health and nutrition and
the knowledge of application influence dietary behavior.

2.4.Social determinants

• Influence of social class:

Social and cultural circumstances influence eating behavior.

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 • Cultural influences:
Cultural influences lead to the difference in the habitual consumption of certain
foods. Some culture exclude meat and milk from the diet. Depending on culture,
eating behavior can be divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

• Social context:
One or more persons influence the eating behavior of others, either direct (buying
food) or indirect (learn from peer’s behavior), either conscious (transfer or beliefs)
or subconscious. Even when eating alone, social factors influence food choice
because attitudes and habits develop through the interaction with others.

• Social setting:
Food choice can be affected by the venue in which food is eaten, e.g. at home, in
schools or at work. Access to healthy food is dependent on the venue or place in
which food is eaten.

2.5. Psychological determinants:

• Stress:
Stress can modify the eating behavior. Some people eat more and some eat less
than normal when experiencing stress. The proposed mechanisms for stress
induced changes in eating and food choice are motivational differences (reduced
concerned about weight control), physiological and practical changes,

• Mood:
Food influences our mood and mood influences the choice of food. Depressed
mood appears to influence the severity of food cravings .women are more
commonly report food cravings than men in case of depressed mood and
premenstrual phase.
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 Fig: Emotions affect food choices

2.6.Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about food:

Attitudes and certain beliefs can change eating behavior. If people believe that their
diets are already healthy it will be difficult to alter their diets even if they are still far
short of the generally accepted public health goals. Those who believe their diets
needs to improved, their attitudes may be favorable.

Thus various factors influence the eating behavior. Food choice factors also vary
according to life stage and the power of one factor will vary from one individual or
group of people to the next. Thus, one type of intervention to modify food choice
behavior will not suit all population groups.