Abstract:
<p>Within a self-regulatory framework, three studies examined the causal effect of discrimination on health-related behaviors. In study 1, reflection upon a past personal experience of discrimination led to more unhealthy food-related decision-making. Study 2 revealed increased endorsement of unhealthy food items following a discriminatory experience for individuals who experienced low levels of past-year discrimination. Individuals reporting high levels of discrimination within the past year endorsed high numbers of unhealthy foods regardless of experimental condition. Also, individuals who decided to accept a snack from the experimenter were marginally more likely to select an unhealthy option after experiencing discrimination. Finally, study 3 found that the anticipation of conversing with an individual who espoused benevolently sexist attitudes marginally increased individuals' willingness to accept a snack from an experimenter than did the anticipation of hostile sexism. For individuals who accepted a snack, higher levels of gender identification were found to protect individuals from choosing an unhealthy snack over a healthy one. These results provide initial evidence that the experience of discrimination over several temporal formats can result in a reduced ability to refrain from unhealthy eating behavior. These findings represent an important advance in framing how exactly discrimination may affect health through interruptions in individuals' ability to self-regulate in health behavior-related domains.</p>
