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Running head: HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 1 Health Behavior Theory Analysis Report Name: Institution:

HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 2 Health Behavior Theory Analysis Report Adverse Health Behavior- Junk Food Eating Behavior Introduction Junk food eating has been increasing in recent years among adolescents and adults. This unhealthy food behavior is considered a risk factor for several chronic illnesses, including overweight and obesity. On the other hand, healthy eating behavior impacts nutritional needs, prevents chronic disease in the future, and positively affects mental and physical development. Eating behaviors, whether healthy or unhealthy, are shaped during childhood and adolescence. Notable, bad eating habits have undesirable consequences in adulthood. By definition, junk foods are those that are easily accessible and viable, customarily inexpensive, and have minimal nutritional value. They contain more salt, more calories, less iron, have a high content of saturated fat and sugar, and have less calcium and dietary fiber ( Bohara et al., 2021). Common junk foods include fast food, desserts, carbonated drinks, chips, chocolates, and many more. From a global perspective, junk food eating behavior is popular its consumption is skyrocketing. Sadly, traditional foods are being replaced by fast foods that are found in a state of ready to eat, preserved for a long time, and in canned form (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2020). Eating of these kinds of foods is at its peak in developed countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, France, and other Europe countries. Similarly, their consumption indicates an increasing trend in the developing counties of Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. In these emerging economies, the prevalence of unhealthy eating behavior is associated with the adoption of a western lifestyle. In the US particularly, the consumption of junk foods is at the top, with about 36.6% (85 million) Americans eating fast food on a given day according to a 2013-2016 National Health and

HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 3 Nutrition Survey (Fryar et al., 2018). Most common fast food items in America include pizza, French fries, burgers, tacos, chicken and chicken nuggets, sand witches, and much more. Top American fast-food restaurant chains promoting this behavior include McDonald’s, In-n-out, Chick-Fill-A, Popeye’s, Arby’s, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Five Guys, Taco Bells, Shakeshack, Jack in the Box, Chipotle, Steak ‘n Shake, Whataburger, KFC, Subway, and Burger King, just to mention but a few. According to Blasbalg et al. (2011), “t he explosion of fast-food restaurants has significantly increased the intake of fried foods, and people are now eating 1000 times the amount of soybean oil compared with the early 1900s.” Despite strong evidence of the adverse impacts of junk/fast foods, their consumption is popular among adult Americans, especially youngsters. As mentioned, these unhealthy eating behaviors may lead to a high prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coronary heart disease, among others (Payab et al., 2015). In vulnerable urban neighborhoods across America, Junk food has become a key source of nutrition. Although some cultural and social factors contribute to the overwhelming popularity of fast foods, infiltration into schools, targeted marketing, federal food policy, and government subsidies play a momentous role in repudiating vulnerable communities’ access to healthy foods. In turn, the lack of access to organic and good food quality and the overabundance of fast food joints have increased people’s vulnerability to food-related diseases and death. Obesity and Junk Food Eating Behavior Based on research, there is enough evidence supporting that eating junk food leads to obesity. The obesity pandemic in America is at its peak. According to a 2017 report by the National Center for Health Statistics , “over the past 50 years, the health of Americans has gotten worse, and now 71% of Americans are overweight or obese—not 66%, which was reported 5

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HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 4 years ago.” Harmful dietary patterns that contribute to increased fast food consumption include inconsistency in eating breakfast, high prevalence of soft drinks, and low frequency of vegetable and fruits intake (Li et al., 2022). According to McMorrow et al. (2017), breakfast consumption positively impact hormonal, appetitive, and neurological signals that manage food intake, while omitting breakfast leads to obesity. On the other hand, vegetables and fruits are high in fiber and water and have lower energy density. In turn, the satiating impact of fiber helps the body to fight against obesity by allowing fewer calories to be ingested and displacing energy-dense meals. On the contrary, junk food contains empty calories and is high in energy, which contributes to obesity. Therefore, unhealthy eating behavior that involves a lower consumption of less-energy- dense food and higher consumption of more energy-dense food could cause double harm to the body (Faizi et al., 2018). Overly, eating junk food has a significant positive effect on obesity. Junk Food Damaging Children's Brains Junk food is especially popular with adolescents and young children. Unfortunately, it has the potential to damage immature brains when consumed extensively. According to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Zurich, heavy consumption of unhealthy fatty foods in adolescence may impair cognitive function in adulthood (Labouesse et al., 2017). This worrying conclusion was reached after experimenting with adult mice being fed with either normal food or an extremely high-fat diet. Typically, fast food contains excessively high levels of saturated fats. After only 4 weeks of a fat-rich diet, the first sign of cognitive function impairment was detected, even before the mice started gaining any weight. The researchers found that "when the fatty foods are consumed: they tend to have a particularly negative impact on the maturation of the prefrontal cortex in the period from late childhood to early adulthood (Labouesse et al., 2017) . ” These findings are readily adaptable to humans because the prefrontal

HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 5 cortex matures chiefly during adolescence. Correspondingly, the executive functions attributed to the prefrontal cortex are also similar in both humans and mice. On the same note, the neuronal structures impacted by junk food are also similar in both creatures. This implies that matters of nutrition should be given more emphasis as children are growing up. In other words, young adults and children should consume nutritious, well-balanced foods. In a nutshell, unhealthy eating habits that involve consuming junk food acerbates the risk of numerous complications such as obesity, stroke and heart disease, depression, cancer, diabetes, and early death. Regardless of the frequency, the impact of junk food is imminent both in the short-run and long-run. In particular, a high risk of obesity is linked with having fast food more than once a week, while a high risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and coronary heart disease are associated with eating fast food more than twice a week. Health Behavior Theory- Cognitive Behavioral Theory Theories help us to understand eating behavior in various ways. They also assist in the design of interventions by facilitating and directing research and transferability of interventions from one geographical area, healthy issue, or health care setting to another. Aforementioned, the consumption of junk food among vulnerable communities is increasing due to the popularization of western-style diets and urbanization (Stevenson et al., 2020). Some theories have been used to explain the determinants of junk food consumption. One such theory that can be used to describe the existence and persistence of the health behavior identified above (junk food eating) is the cognitive-behavioral theory. As the name suggests, the cognitive-behavioral theory is grounded on the fundamental principle that the cognition/thinking of an individual plays a primary and significant role in the development and maintenance of behavioral and emotional responses to life situations (Hupp et

HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 6 al., 2008). In essence, the model argues that cognitive processes, in the form of assumptions, appraisals, judgments, and meanings associated with particular life events, are the major determinants of one’s behavior, actions, or feelings, and thus either hinder or facilitate the process of adaptation. In other words, the theory focuses on how particular thoughts lead to certain feelings, which eventually influence behavior. As far as eating behavior is concerned, many people are cognizant of the fact that eating unhealthy fast foods puts them on the path of making more unhealthy eating decisions. Cognitive behavior processes can help us to understand this complex phenomenon. To begin with, Stevenson et al. (2020) argue that " an increasing number of studies reveal that consuming processed sugary foods high in fat and sugar leads to changes in our brain’s cognitive-behavioral processes that change our brain function and influence us to eat more high fat/high sugar (HFHS) foods. ” These “neuroadaptations” that are created by some kind of "reward-based” process not only influence our eating behavior further but also reinforce our food choices. This study found that simply adding extra junk food for 7 days only damages the brain’s ability to control appetite. This intricate occurrence is associated with a structure of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. Hippocampus is susceptible to HFHS diet. To put this into perspective, the hippocampal function is directly affected by HFHS foods by impairing appetite control, forcing individuals to crave for more- even when full (Stevenson et al., 2020). Besides increased desire for junk foods, victims performed worse on a test of memory and learning. Put in another way, when we consume junk food, the hippocampus activates brain functions that influence cognitive-behavioral processes involving anticipating, remembering/learning, and wanting/liking. These disruptions of cognitive control mechanisms alter our dietary intake behavior. On the whole, the reward, pleasure, and

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HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 7 anticipation that comes with junk food make us more vulnerable to eating more junk food in the present and the future. Possible Solutions to Reducing Junk Food Eating Behavior System thinking - system thinking is the systematic process of accounting for the factors that shape and modify our behavior. Such factors include people, circumstances, events, and historical choices. It enables people to understand how their environment is linked with their circumstances and consequent behavior. As far as eating behavior is concerned, people who want to lose weight must exercise frequently and eat less. Although the validity of their advice is not questionable, following this advice is often challenging for many people. However, an ecological perspective that focuses on system thinking can benefit the management of obesity, by encouraging mindful and healthy eating (Alemi et al., 2003). System thinking can be achieved by making systemic changes in one’s environment. These changes help people to improve their personal habits. Overall, concepts of system thinking such as taking multiple perspectives, recognizing relationships, organizing systems, and making distinctions successfully helps people to achieve their weight loss and establish healthy eating habits. Parental Diet, Education, and Guidance- due to the pressures of modern life, many parents have failed to establish healthy eating patterns in their children. A healthy diet, void of HFHS, occurs when the eating patterns of an individual include adequate nutritional and energy intake. Parents should be educated, empowered, and guided on how to establish healthy eating practices in their children. According to Haines et al. (2019), four key themes that support and encourage healthy eating in families include (1) positive parental feeding, (2) a healthy home setting (3) the pleasure of eating, and (4) eating together. Implementing these nurturing themes in the home will help to prevent childhood obesity, which is largely attributed to eating junk food.

HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 8 Avoiding the Practice of Eating Out - healthy eating is significantly challenged by the practice of eating out. The decision to eat out is influenced by mobility routines, busy lifestyles, a perceived lack of time, and social ties (Ball et al., 2009). Eating at home frequently is beneficial in several ways. First and most importantly, it helps people to avoid junk foods that are served in restaurants, which contain high amounts of sugar, fats, and calories. In other words, you can choose low-calorie and low-fat ingredients when you prepare your meals at home. Other benefits of eating at home include reducing temptations of eating tasty unhealthy foods, knowing what you are consuming, family time and saving money. On the whole, avoiding eating out is the best way of reducing junk food eating behavior and promoting healthy eating behavior.

HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 9 References Alemi, F., Pawloski, L., & Fallon Jr, W. F. (2003). System thinking in a personal context to improve eating behaviors. Journal for Healthcare Quality , 25 (2), 20-25. Ball, K., MacFarlane, A., Crawford, D., Savige, G., Andrianopoulos, N., & Worsley, A. (2009). Can social cognitive theory constructs explain socio-economic variations in adolescent eating behaviors? A mediation analysis. Health education research , 24 (3), 496-506. Blasbalg, T. L., Hibbeln, J. R., Ramsden, C. E., Majchrzak, S. F., & Rawlings, R. R. (2011). Changes in consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the United States during the 20th century. The American journal of clinical nutrition , 93 (5), 950-962. Bohara, S. S., Thapa, K., Bhatt, L. D., Dhami, S. S., & Wagle, S. (2021). Determinants of junk food consumption among adolescents in Pokhara Valley, Nepal. Frontiers in Nutrition , 8 . Faizi, N., Shah, M. S., Ahmad, A., Ansari, M. A., Amir, A., & Khalique, N. (2018). Adverse eating behavior and its association with obesity in Indian adolescents: Evidence from a nonmetropolitan city in India. Journal of family medicine and primary care , 7 (1), 198. Fryar, C. D., Hughes, J. P., Herrick, K. A., & Ahluwalia, N. (2018). Fast-food consumption among adults in the United States, 2013–2016. Haines, J., Haycraft, E., Lytle, L., Nicklaus, S., Kok, F. J., Merdji, M., ... & Hughes, S. O. (2019). Nurturing children's healthy eating: position statement. Appetite , 137 , 124-133. Hupp, S. D., Reitman, D., & Jewell, J. D. (2008). Cognitive-behavioral theory. Handbook of clinical psychology , 2 , 263-287. Labouesse, M. A., Lassalle, O., Richetto, J., Iafrati, J., Weber-Stadlbauer, U., Notter, T., ... & Meyer, U. (2017). Hypervulnerability of the adolescent prefrontal cortex to nutritional stress via reelin deficiency. Molecular psychiatry , 22 (7), 961-971.

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HEALTH BEHAVIOR THEORY ANALYSIS REPORT 10 Li, Y., Li, X., Zhang, T., Guo, H., & Sun, C. (2022). How Perceived health threats affect the junk food eating behavior and consequent obesity? Moderating role of product knowledge hiding. Frontiers in Psychology , 344. Mc Morrow, L., Ludbrook, A., Macdiarmid, J. I., & Olajide, D. (2017). Perceived barriers towards healthy eating and their association with fruit and vegetable consumption. Journal of Public Health , 39 (2), 330-338. Mukhopadhyay, S., Goswami, S., Mondal, S. A., & Dutta, D. (2020). Dietary fat, salt, and sugar: a clinical perspective of the social catastrophe. In Dietary Sugar, Salt and Fat in Human Health (pp. 67-91). Academic Press. National Center for Health Statistics. (2017). Health, United States, 2016: with chartbook on long-term trends in health. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus16.pdf#053 . Published May 2017. Accessed April 3, 2021. Payab, M., Kelishadi, R., Qorbani, M., Motlagh, M. E., Ranjbar, S. H., Ardalan, G., ... & Heshmat, R. (2015). Association of junk food consumption with high blood pressure and obesity in Iranian children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV Study. Jornal de pediatria , 91 , 196-205. Stevenson, R. J., Francis, H. M., Attuquayefio, T., Gupta, D., Yeomans, M. R., Oaten, M. J., & Davidson, T. (2020). Hippocampal-dependent appetitive control is impaired by experimental exposure to a Western-style diet. Royal Society open science , 7 (2), 191338.

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