Decision making in eating behavior: State of the science and recommendations for future research

Background: The National Institutes of Health Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, the National Cancer Institute, the National Health Lung and Blood Institute, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases convened a scientific workshop entitled "Decision Making in Eating Behavior: Integrating Perspectives from the Individual, Family, and Environment" in April 2008 Purpose/Methods: The purpose of this paper is to provide a synthesis of the workshop. Results: The common themes that ran throughout the conference were as follows: (1) Initiating behavior differs conceptually from sustaining behaviors; (2) The intersection of biology, genetics, and environment (physical, political, economic, and social) is where eating behavior occurs; (3) Marketing and advertising influence eating behavior influence; and (4) sometimes, seemingly unrelated policies influence eating behavior. Conclusions: Additional research is needed.