Abstract

The suggested study will examine whether life goal factors are related to healthy eating, and whether motivation for eating factors and personality factors are related to autonomous regulation. The study will use a multiple choice questionnaire comprising five different scales, personality (the Big Five), regulation (three factors), food choice (three factors expected), motivation for eating (nine factors), and life goals (six factors).Participants will comprise 237 students from Bangor University, aged between 18-30 years. They will be recruited by opportunity sampling. All participants who were approached agreed to take part in the study. It is expected that the only life goals that correlates with healthy eating will be altruism. The correlation should be positive. In the event of other life goals being significant correlates, it is still expected that altruism will be the most important predictor. Of the personality factors, conscientiousness is expected to correlate with autonomous regulation. Of the motives for eating, it is expected that health and weight will correlate with autonomous regulation. These three significant correlates are expected all to be positive. Although regression in itself cannot determine that correlations are causal, it is plausible, intuitive and from the literature, that such significant relationships, if found, suggest causal factors at work. In general, it is plausible that such findings apply to the aspect of healthy eating. Because of this, results of the proposed study should be of interest to those responsible for promoting public health through better nutrition.