Food Craving Increases Unhealthy Food Purchases: A Study of SNAP Households
研究发现，参与美国补充营养援助计划（SNAP）的家庭比非参与家庭购买更多不健康享乐食品，原因是他们食物渴望更强，且对不健康食品的感知危害更低。
Analysis of actual transactions in a grocery store shows that households enrolled in the U.S. government's Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) purchase more unhealthy hedonic food, compared with households that do not receive SNAP benefits. SNAP households purchased more unhealthy hedonic food regardless of whether they used government funds or cash to pay for their purchases. Three follow-up simulated grocery shopping studies were designed to understand the mechanisms underlying this food consumption pattern by SNAP households. SNAP households, compared with households that do not receive SNAP benefits, reported stronger food craving. Stronger food craving was associated with lower unhealthiness perception of hedonic food. Overall, the results suggest that food cravings can reduce perceptions of unhealthiness and thus increase unhealthy food purchases. Interventions that reduce the effect of food cravings on shopping decisions might reduce unhealthy consumption.