• Qianqian Ju, Yiqun Gan, Huini Peng, Binghui Li, Shu Nie, and Ralf Schwarzer.
• School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
• Nutrition. 2024 Sep 14; 129: 112581112581.

ObjectiveIndividuals experiencing higher stress levels tend to consume fewer fruits and vegetables compared to their less stressed counterparts. Thus, to promote fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, action planning has been proven effective in translating behavioral intentions into actual dietary behaviors. This study aims to evaluate a 7-day intervention designed to improve FV planning and intake, while also examining the role of stress.MethodsThe trial employed a 3 (time: pretest, post-test, and follow-up) * 2 (group: intervention vs. control) between-participant factorial design. A total of 99 young Chinese adults (age = 23.84 years ± 4.63, 26 men) who had formed an explicit intention to consume more fruit and vegetables, participated in a 7-day online randomized controlled trial.ResultsThe intervention successfully enhanced FV planning as well as FV intake. Furthermore, a moderated mediation model revealed that FV planning mediated the relationship between experimental conditions and FV intake, with stress moderating this mediation. Specifically, planning facilitated FV intake for individuals with low stress levels, while this effect was not observed for those with high stress levels.ConclusionThese findings confirm the positive impact of the planning intervention on improving FV intake, particularly for individuals with low stress levels, and highlight stress as a barrier to health behavior change that warrants further attention in future studies.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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