How external factors prompt us to eat and drink is the focus of a new University of Tasmania research project.
Volunteers are needed for the project, which will investigate the influence of social norms, mood and environmental factors on the consumption of food and drink.
Individuals will be asked to record their food and drink intake and respond to surveys assessing their cravings, hunger, mood, location and company, for two weeks using a specially-programmed smartphone.
This research project is being conducted by PhD candidate Katherine Elliston, from the School of Medicine.
After conducting research into eating patterns in honours, Ms Elliston now hopes to use this latest study to better understand both what people eat and what drives them to eat.
“We are hoping to explore more in depth how our mood influences our eating patterns and how people, shops and advertisements, influence our eating behaviour.
“We hope to gather information on the strongest cues driving food intake, which can potentially be addressed later in policy.
“The information we collect may be beneficial for other people by contributing to the development of future dietary management interventions.”
To be eligible to take part in the study, volunteers must be over 18 and not be currently dieting.
To find out more go to http://tiny.cc/foodchoices3
