Fruit and vegetables consumption as snacks among young people. The role of descriptive norm and habit in the Theory of Planned Behavior

In this paper we test the efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), extended with descriptive norm and habit, to predict the behavior of consuming fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks. A longitudinal study was carried out. In a one-month period, 162 students, from University of Padova and senior high schools in the North-East of Italy, were surveyed. Data were analyzed by using structural equation models. The inclusion of habit improved the predictive power of TPB and the expanded model explained a large amount of variance in intention (76%) and a moderate amount (28%) in behavior. Affective attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and habit were significantly related to intention; behavior was affected by intention and habit. Results support the efficacy of the TPB in predicting the target behavior: they also suggest strategies that can be followed to promote this healthy eating behavior.