Association between time perspective, food choice motives, and food intake in a general population

Improving food choices represents a major goal for the environment and public health. Consideration of future consequences (CFC) is a psychological construct that distinguishes individuals who adopt behaviors based on immediate needs and concerns from individuals who consider the future implications and consequences of their behavior. The objective of this study was to assess the association between CFC and indicators of dietary behaviors such as food choice motives, food intake, diet quality, and snacking. A sample of 50,955 participants from the NutriNet-Santé study completed the CFC-12 questionnaire. Food choice motives were assessed using a validated questionnaire regrouping 9 food choice motives. Food intake and diet quality (mPNNS-GS) were evaluated with of 24-h dietary records, and snacking frequency by using an ad-hoc question. Linear and logistic regressions adjusted for socio-demographic factors were performed. CFC was associated with all food choice motives (p<.0001), with the strongest associations observed for “environmental limitations” and “health” motives. CFC was also associated with intake of 13 out of the 16 food groups (p<.02). The strongest positive associations were found for fruits and vegetables and whole-grain products, while the strongest negative associations were found for alcohol and meat. Overall, CFC was positively associated with diet quality (p<.0001) and negatively associated with snacking frequency (p<.0001). Our data suggest that future-oriented individuals are concerned by their future individual health and also by more distal and altruistic environmental goals