Saturated fat consumption and the Theory of Planned Behaviour: exploring additive and interactive effects of habit strength

The additive and interactive effects of habit strength in the explanation of saturated fat intake were explored within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Cross-sectional data were gathered in a Dutch adult sample (n = 764) using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses. Results showed that habit strength was a significant correlate of fat intake (β = −0.11) and significantly increased the amount of explained variance in fat intake (R2-change = 0.01). Furthermore, based on a significant interaction effect (β = 0.11), simple slope analyses revealed that intention was a significant correlate of fat intake for low levels (β = −0.29) and medium levels (β = −0.19) of habit strength, but a weaker and non-significant correlate for high levels (β = −0.07) of habit strength. Higher habit strength may thus make limiting fat intake a non-intentional behaviour. Implications for information and motivation-based interventions are discussed.