Neurobiological, psychological, and social basis of food choice and the role of the family

 

Prof. Dr. Liane Schenk, Project Speaker, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Prof. Dr. Matthias Schulze, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Nuthetal; PD Dr. Kathrin Ohla Forschungszentrum Jülich; Prof. Dr. Tobias Pischon, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin-Buch; Prof. Dr. Petra Warschburger, University of Potsdam; Dr. Manuela Bergmann, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), Nuthetal

Based on the investigations for the familial characterization of food choice processes during the first funding period, in the second funding period the social, psychological and biological mechanisms and determinants of food choice within the family system will be investigated.

The web-based NutriAct Family Study (Z1) with approximately 1,000 recruited participants aged from 50 to 70 years, will provide the data basis for this study. The participants are life partners (spouses) and their siblings. The analysis focuses on the role of shared parents and environment during childhood (siblings) versus the role of shared environments during adulthood (spouses). The influence of social transitional phases such as changes in employment status (e.g. change of residence city / country), marital status (e.g. widowhood, divorce), the move-out of children or the change of residence (e.g. urban versus rural) will be analyzed.

Within the framework of three experimental studies with targeted taste and attention training, mechanisms of dietary behavior modifications will be investigated. The aim is to identify factors that have an effect on the change in behavior.