TY - JOUR
T1 - The Instability of Health Cognitions
T2 - Visceral States Influence Self-efficacy and Related Health Beliefs
AU - Nordgren, Loran F.
AU - van der Pligt, Joop
AU - van Harreveld, Frenk
PY - 2008/11
Y1 - 2008/11
N2 - Objective: To determine how visceral impulses, such as hunger and drug craving, influence health beliefs. Design: The authors assessed smokers' self-efficacy and intentions to quit while in a randomly assigned state of cigarette craving or noncraving (Study 1), and assessed dieters weight-loss beliefs while hungry or satiated (Study 2). Main outcome measures: Self-efficacy, smoking cessation, weight-loss goals. Results: The authors found, in both the context of smoking and weight-loss, that participants in a cold (e.g., satiated) state had different health beliefs than participants in a hot state (e.g., hungry). Specifically, in Study 1, the authors found that smokers who experienced cigarette craving had lower self-efficacy than did satiated smokers. Consequently, smokers who craved a cigarette had less intention to quit smoking in the future compared with satiated smokers. In Study 2, the authors found that hungry dieters had less self-efficacy than did satiated dieters. This difference led hungry dieters to form less ambitious future weight-loss goals and view prior weight-loss attempts with more satisfaction. Conclusion: These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of health beliefs and reveal that health beliefs are more dynamic than previously assumed.
AB - Objective: To determine how visceral impulses, such as hunger and drug craving, influence health beliefs. Design: The authors assessed smokers' self-efficacy and intentions to quit while in a randomly assigned state of cigarette craving or noncraving (Study 1), and assessed dieters weight-loss beliefs while hungry or satiated (Study 2). Main outcome measures: Self-efficacy, smoking cessation, weight-loss goals. Results: The authors found, in both the context of smoking and weight-loss, that participants in a cold (e.g., satiated) state had different health beliefs than participants in a hot state (e.g., hungry). Specifically, in Study 1, the authors found that smokers who experienced cigarette craving had lower self-efficacy than did satiated smokers. Consequently, smokers who craved a cigarette had less intention to quit smoking in the future compared with satiated smokers. In Study 2, the authors found that hungry dieters had less self-efficacy than did satiated dieters. This difference led hungry dieters to form less ambitious future weight-loss goals and view prior weight-loss attempts with more satisfaction. Conclusion: These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of health beliefs and reveal that health beliefs are more dynamic than previously assumed.
KW - health goals
KW - hunger
KW - self-efficacy
KW - smoking cessation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=57749083604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=57749083604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0278-6133.27.6.722
DO - 10.1037/0278-6133.27.6.722
M3 - Article
C2 - 19025267
AN - SCOPUS:57749083604
SN - 0278-6133
VL - 27
SP - 722
EP - 727
JO - Health Psychology
JF - Health Psychology
IS - 6
ER -