Excess intake of 'free sugars' is a key predictor of chronic disease, obesity, and dental ill health.Given the importance of determining modifiable predictors of free sugar-related dietary behaviors, we applied the integrated behavior change model to predict free sugar limiting behaviors. The model includes constructs representing 'reasoned' or deliberative processes that lead to action (e.g., social cognition constructs, intentions), and constructs representing 'nonconscious' or implicit processes (e.g., implicit attitudes, behavioral automaticity) as predictors of behavior. Undergraduate students (N=205) completed measures of autonomous and controlled motivation, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) measures of explicit attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intentions, past behavior, implicit attitude, and behavioral automaticity at an initial point in time, and free sugar limiting behavior and behavioral automaticity two weeks later. A Bayesian structural equation model indicated that explicit attitude, subjective norms, and PBC predicted behavior via intention. Autonomous motivation predicted behavior indirectly through all TPB variables, while controlled motivation predicted behavior only via subjective norms. Implicit attitudes and behavioral automaticity predicted behavior directly and independently. Past behavior predicted behavior directly and indirectly through behavioral automaticity and intentions, but not implicit attitudes. Current findings suggest pervasive effects of constructs representing both reasoned and non-conscious processes and signpost potential targets for behavioral interventions aimed at minimizing free sugar consumption.

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Social psychological predictors of sleep hygiene behaviors in Australian and Hong Kong university students AbstractBackground. Sleep hygiene behaviors in undergraduate students are associated with night-time sleep duration and quality, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and psychological distress. This study aimed to identify the social psychological factors that impact on university students' sleep hygiene behaviors in samples from two countries. Methods. Participants were undergraduate students from Australia (N=201) and Hong Kong (N=161). The study used a correlationalprospective design. Individuals self-reported their intention, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and past behavior with respect to sleep hygiene behaviors. Four weeks later, the students self-reported their action plans and participation in sleep hygiene behaviors. Results. Analysis indicated acceptable model fit to data for both the Australian and Hong Kong samples. Results showed significant direct effects of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and past behavior on intention, and significant direct effects of action planning and past behavior on prospectively measured sleep hygiene behavior. There were also significant indirect effects of attitude, subjective norms (Hong Kong sample only), and perceived behavioral control on behavior mediated by intention and action planning. Overall, the model predicted a large portion of the variance in sleep hygiene behavior for both the Australian (R 2 = .524) and Hong Kong (R 2 = .483) samples. Schenker and Gentleman t-tests found no parameters significantly differed between samples. Conclusions. Current results indicate that university students' sleep hygiene behaviors are a function of both motivational and volitional processes. This knowledge provides formative data to inform the development of behavior change interventions to improve the sleep hygiene practices of university students.

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