"Same Calories, Different Foods" - What do you choose? The role of construal level and age in shaping food choices.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Health-related food choices are often influenced by two central attributes: food type (such as healthy vs. less healthy) and food quantity (such as large vs. small portions). Based on Construal Level Theory (CLT), this research investigates how both chronic and situational construal levels guide consumers' attention toward these attributes and how this process varies by age. By examining decisions under caloric equivalence, the study aims to explain when and why equally caloric foods are chosen differently among consumers of different age groups.

Methods

Four experiments were conducted across two main studies. Study 1A examined how individuals' chronic construal levels, measured by the Behavioral Identification Form (BIF), influence food choices between healthy

SUBMITTER: Kim E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12605454 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature