Faculty Articles
Would You Like Fries (380 Calories) With That? Menu Labeling Mitigates The Impact Of Weight-Based Stereotype Threat On Food Choice
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Social Psychological and Personality Science
ISSN
1948-5506
Publication Date
8-8-2013
Abstract
Policies that focus on self-regulation are being implemented to reduce obesity. One policy is menu labeling, the provision of calorie information on restaurant menus, which has evidenced mixed results. To illuminate the role of psychological processes, we examined the effect of weight-based stereotype threat on food choice as a function of body mass index (BMI). In Study 1, participants under stereotype threat ordered food containing more calories from a conventional menu that did not present calorie information as BMI increased, whereas no association between BMI and calories was found in the control (no threat) condition. In Study 2, participants under stereotype threat ordered more calories from a conventional menu as BMI increased, whereas no association between BMI and calories was found among participants who ordered from a calorie menu, demonstrating that menu labeling eliminated the stereotype threat effect. Theoretical and practical implications for stereotype threat and policy interventions are discussed.
DOI
10.1177/1948550613499941
Volume
5
Issue
4
First Page
414
Last Page
421
NSUWorks Citation
Brochu, P. M.,
Dovidio, J. F.
(2013). Would You Like Fries (380 Calories) With That? Menu Labeling Mitigates The Impact Of Weight-Based Stereotype Threat On Food Choice. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), 414-421.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/560
