(PS5-51) Effects of a Values Alignment Intervention on the Improvement of Eating Habits and Attitudes in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Text: Adolescent obesity is associated with physical and mental health problems and is a strong predictor of obesity in adulthood. Although various universal preventive interventions have been implemented to promote healthy eating habits, meta-analyses suggest that most are not cost-effective in producing long-term changes in adolescents’ dietary preferences. The wise interventions paradigm is an innovative approach that applies rigorously tested psychological techniques to drive positive behavioral change. Bryan et al. (2016) developed the values alignment intervention (VAI), an innovative wise intervention designed to improve adolescents’ dietary choices by reshaping their perceptions of food. VIA counters the emotional appeal of junk food marketing by presenting healthy eating as a way to uphold values important to adolescents: (1) autonomy from adult control and (2) social justice. The study aimed to adapt the VAI for Spanish adolescents and evaluate its effectiveness in improving obesity-related eating habits. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial (clinicalTrials.gov: NCT05865444; ethics committee approval: ETK-43/21-22) was conducted with 592 eighth- and ninth-grade adolescents (50.3% girls), who were randomly assigned to either the VAI group (n = 291) or an educational control intervention (n = 301). Randomization was clustered at the classroom level (27 classrooms). Both interventions were delivered in a single one-hour session. Participants completed assessments measuring healthy and unhealthy food intake and the alignment of healthy eating habits with adolescent values at pretest, postintervention, and three-month follow-up. They also completed an open-ended questionnaire about the difficulties they encountered in changing their eating habits. Informed consent was obtained from both participants and their parents. Hierarchical linear modeling with a full information maximum likelihood estimator and robust standard errors was used for the analysis. Results indicated that adolescents in the VAI condition increased their consumption of healthy foods and beverages after the intervention (β = 0.57, SE = 0.19, t = 3.10, p = .002) and strengthened their association of social justice and autonomy values with healthy food consumption (β = 0.29, SE = 0.09, t = 3.17, p = .002). However, the intervention did not reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods (β = –0.04, SE = 0.22, t = –0.20, p = .844). A qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses revealed that adolescents identified the appeal of processed foods and peer influence as the main obstacles to adopting healthier eating habits. Overall, these findings suggest that the while the VAI can increase the consumption of healthy foods and foster positive attitudes toward them, it does not necessarily decrease the consumption of unhealthy foods. Future research should explore strategies to counteract the persistent appeal of processed foods and peer-driven eating behaviors.