Health values as truisms. K. TAPPER 1, G.M. JIGA-BOY 2, G. HAD-DOCK 3, G.R. MAIO 3, C. VALLE 4. 1 Psychology Department, City Uni-versity, London EC1R 0JD, UK, 2 Swansea University, UK, 3 CardiffUniversity, UK, 4 Universidad San Pablo Ceu de Madrid, Spain.katy.tapper.1@city.ac.uk

The current research examined whether health values function astruisms (i.e. are strongly endorsed but rarely questioned) and exploredthe impact of building cognitive support for health values on fruit andvegetable consumption and exercise. In Experiment 1, 150 participantsrated the importance of a range of values (including four health val-ues), then wrote down reasons why health values were (un)importantto them (experimental group), or why they (dis)liked particular televi-sion shows (control group). Finally, all participants completed a secondquestionnaire assessing value importance, including the four healthvalues. In Experiment 2, 43 students either analysed reasons for healthvalues (experimental group) or completed health-related word puz-zles (control group). One week later they reported on their diet andexercise behaviours during the previous week. Experiment 1 showedthat health values ratings changed more after reasons analysis thanin the control condition (p < .02), indicating that health values werefunctioning as truisms. In Experiment 2, participants who completedthe reasons analysis subsequently reported more exercise (p = .08)and less food consumption (p = .06) than those in the control condi-tion. The findings indicate that health values function as truisms andthat thinking about reasons for health values resulted in participantsreporting more exercise one week later. The finding that they alsoreported lower levels of food consumption may be an indication ofincreased dieting. Further research using more detailed dietary ques-tionnaires in conjunction with observational and physiological mea-sures will help test this interpretation and the efficacy of thisstrategy in motivating behaviour change.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.06.066

Evaluation of an online healthy eating programme. K. TAPPER 1,G.M. JIGA-BOY 2, G.R. MAIO 3, G. HADDOCK 3. 1 Psychology Depart-ment, City University, London EC1R 0JD, UK, 2 Swansea University, UK,3 Cardiff University, UK. katy.tapper.1@city.ac.uk

This study examined the effects of an online healthy eating pro-gramme on consumption of fruit and vegetables, saturated fat andadded sugars. Participants (82 females, 18 males) were randomisedto an intervention or control group and asked to log onto a websiteevery week for 24 weeks to complete health-related measures. Theyalso attended laboratory sessions at baseline, 3 months and6 months to complete additional physiological and diet measures.At the online sessions, intervention participants received dietaryfeedback and advice and completed tasks targeting motivation (ana-lysing reasons for the importance of health, thinking about health-related desires and concerns), volition (forming implementationintentions) and maintenance (reviewing tasks, weekly ‘tips’).Ninety-one participants completed 12 or more online sessions. Anal-ysis of their data showed a significant interaction for fruit and veg-etable consumption, with intervention participants increasing theirintake between baseline and 6 months (3.72–4.17 cups) and controlparticipants decreasing their intake (3.59–3.36 cups). Results alsoshowed overall reductions in saturated fat and added sugar betweenbaseline and 6 months (saturated fat = 19.61–14.96 g, sugar = 39.66–28.29 g) but no interaction with group. The results indicate that theprogramme was effective at helping individuals increase their fruitand vegetable consumption. The results also provide support forthe efficacy of simply monitoring behaviours over time. The absenceof additional programme benefits beyond monitoring for fat andsugar may be because intervention participants failed to target these

behaviours, or because the programme was more effective forapproach than avoidance goals.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.06.067

Acute energy intake restriction, moderate intensity exercise andpostprandial plasma triacylglycerol concentration in girls. A.THACKRAY, L. BARRETT, K. TOLFREY. School of Sport, Exercise andHealth Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.A.E.thackray@lboro.ac.uk

This study compared the effect of an isoenergetic energy deficit,induced by mild energy-intake restriction or acute exercise, on post-prandial triacylglycerol concentrations ([TAG]) in girls. Elevenhealthy girls (mean(SD): age 12.1(0.6) years; body mass42.1(5.8) kg; peak oxygen uptake ð _V O2peakÞ 47(6) mL kg�1 min�1)completed three, two-day conditions in a counterbalanced, crossoverdesign. On day 1, participants rested (CON), restricted food energyintake by 1.47(0.18) MJ (ER) or walked at 60% _V O2peak (EX; net energyexpenditure 1.46(0.01) MJ). On day 2, capillary blood samples weretaken in the fasted state and at pre-determined intervals throughoutthe 6.5 h postprandial period. A standardised breakfast was con-sumed immediately after the fasting sample and a standardisedlunch at 4 h. Compared with CON, fasting [TAG] was lower after ER(95% confidence interval (95% CI) �0.22 to �0.01, effect size(ES) = 0.42) and EX (95% CI �0.38 to �0.19, ES = 1.33); EX was lowerthan ER (95% CI �0.30 to �0.03, ES = 0.66). Differences in postpran-dial [TAG] over time between conditions were moderate (ES = 0.50).The total area under the [TAG] versus time curve was lower after EXthan CON (95% CI �2.89 to �0.86, ES = 0.80), with a small differencebetween ER and CON (95% CI �1.85 to 0.16, ES = 0.27) and EX and ER(95% CI �2.48 to 0.42, ES = 0.40). An exercise-induced energy deficitelicits a greater reduction in fasting and postprandial [TAG] in girlsthan an isoenergetic diet-induced energy deficit.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.06.068

Monitoring eating behaviour in the laboratory.: Do we need to doit covertly? J.M. THOMAS 1, C.T. DOURISH 2, S. HIGGS 1. 1 School ofPsychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UK, 2 P1Vital,UK. jmt982@bham.ac.uk

Numerous studies have covertly examined eating behaviour in thelaboratory with a Universal Eating Monitor (UEM). However, usingthis method, participants might behave in a way that disrupts therecording of their eating behaviour (e.g. accidentally leaning on thehidden scales). To date, no study has directly investigated whethera covert approach is necessary and whether awareness of a UEMaffects eating behaviour. To assess this factor, we recruited partici-pants to eat an ad-libitum lunch of pasta followed by an ad-libitumsnack of cookies. Participants were either made explicitly aware ofthe UEM and informed that it would be recording their food intake(aware condition), or were not told about the UEM (non-aware con-dition). Participants in the non-aware condition were questioned atthe end of the study to confirm whether they were aware or non-aware during their session. Analysis of various measures of eating(e.g. total amount eaten, duration of eating) and eating microstruc-ture (e.g. number of mouthfuls eaten, eating rate) showed no signif-icant difference between aware or non-aware groups. We concludethat awareness of the UEM does not significantly affect eating behav-iour, and that a covert approach is not required.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.06.069

Abstracts / Appetite 71 (2013) 470–490 487