title: Psychological antecedents and consequences associated with low-calorie sweetened beverage consumption in frequent consumers
Creators: name: Maloney, Niamh
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2020

description: Introduction: Low-calorie sweetened (LCS) beverages may help consumers to satisfy their hedonic food cravings without violating dieting goals, however this remains to be empirically investigated. The present thesis aimed to establish the psychological antecedents (i.e., attitudes, beliefs, cognitive representations) underpinning LCS beverage consumption (Chapters 2-3). A second aim was to examine the psychological mechanisms and consequences associated with LCS beverage consumption in frequent consumers (Chapters 4-5). Methods: A mixed-methods approach was taken. To address the first aim, a novel questionnaire (Chapter 2) and feature-listing task (Chapter 3) were used to identify the specific drivers (i.e., attitudes, beliefs) and cognitive-related desires which motivate consumption of LCS beverages. To address the second aim, experimental methods were used to examine the impact of priming hedonic eating motives on eating behaviour in consumers and non-consumers of LCS beverages (Chapter 4); specifically, a “chocolate craving” manipulation was implemented and compared to a non-craving control condition in terms of the effects on ad libitum energy intake. These findings were extended by experimentally manipulating the availability of LCS beverages (Chapter 5). Results: The questionnaire developed in Chapter 2 consisted of two sub-scales: 1) LCS beverages aiding weight management and satisfying cravings, and 2) palatability and enjoyment of LCS beverages. Frequent consumers had significantly higher beliefs that LCS beverages are palatable and effective in controlling appetite and weight relative to non-consumers. Consistent with these findings, Chapter 3 found that frequent consumers (but not non-consumers) generated hedonic eating simulations for LCS beverages, and LCS beverages were also strongly associated with positive health attributes. Regarding the second aim of the thesis, study 3 (Chapter 4) found that non-consumers of LCS beverages showed increased energy intake in the chocolate-craving condition relative to the control condition, whereas frequent LCS beverage consumers had similar energy intake in both conditions. Study 4 (Chapter 4) failed to replicate this apparent protective effect of LCS beverage consumption. However, Study 4 did find that overall energy intake and eating-related guilt were significantly greater, and perceived behavioural control was lower, when LCS beverages were unavailable compared to when they were available. Finally, in line with Chapter 4, Chapter 5 found that 7-day deprivation of LCS beverages led to increases in craving, eating-related guilt and energy intake, while reducing mood, compared to a non-deprived group of participants. Conclusions: Overall, findings suggest that consumption of LCS beverages is driven by the belief that they are a helpful tool in managing weight concerns and cravings whilst also offering hedonic enjoyment. Findings thus support the goal conflict model of eating suggesting that LCS beverages enable consumers to satisfy their hedonic eating motivations whilst also managing their weight/weight loss goals. Findings also suggest that consuming LCS beverages has a beneficial impact on consumers’ control over energy intake by reducing craving, eating-related guilt and increasing mood. Future research should establish the longer-term effects of LCS beverage consumption on food intake and appetitive motivations in frequent consumers.