Changing how people think and feel about healthy eating: Translating neuroscience into population health for cancer prevention

INTERVENTION: Participants will be randomly assigned through computer generated random sequence to one of four experimental conditions that will each feature a modified semi‐guided mental imagery scripts in accordance with 2 (Positive affect: Yes/No) by 2 (Episodic future thinking: Yes/No) design: 1) Positive affect and Episodic future thinking, 2) Positive affect and No episodic future thinking, 3) Neutral affect and Episodic future thinking, and 4) Neutral affect and No episodic future thinking. 1. Positive affect and Episodic future thinking condition: Participants will be guided through a body scan meditation and instructed to imagine themselves eating a healthy food and think about the positive effect the healthy food is having on the various regions of their body, including providing essential nutrients that enrich bodily function and increase positive mood. Participants will also be instructed to imagine a future version of themselves that has been enriched by healthy foods over time ‐ and to imagine that healthy future self in the present moment. 2. Positive affect and No episodic future thinking condition: Participants will be guided through a body scan meditation and instructed to imagine themselves eating a healthy food and think about the positive effect the healthy food is having on the various regions of their body, including providing essential nutrients that enrich bodily function and increase positive mood. 3. Neutral affect and Episodic future thinking condition: Participants will be instructed to imagine a future version of themselves that has been enriched by healthy foods over time ‐ and to imagine the healthy future self in the present moment. 4. Neutral affect and No episodic future thinking condition: Participants will be guided through a body scan meditation focused on observing the various regions of their body. CONDITION: Overweight and Obesity ; Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. Temporal discounting (TD) rate: the rate at which individuals discount rewards as a function of time. Temporal discounting is measured at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week later at follow up. Temporal Discounting is assessed via a questionnaire that asks the participant's preference for one monetary option over another (e.g. $500 in one year, or $100 now). INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Aged 18 years or older 2. Able to read and write English fluently 3. Have a body mass composition that indicates that they are overweight (BMI = 25‐29.99 kg/m2) or obese (BMI = over 30 kg/m2) 4. Not diagnosed with any medical conditions that affect dietary choices (e.g. celiac disease, history of gastric bypass surgery) SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Food Demand. Food demand is measured at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week later at follow‐up. Food demand is assessed via a questionnaire that asks the participant how many servings of a snack option (e.g. an apple or candy bar) the participant would purchase if the snack option cost a certain amount. The cost options are varied (e.g. $1 or $1.25) and used to estimate what a participant would be willing to pay for a snack option. ; 2. Food Choice. Food choice is assessed immediately after the intervention and at follow‐up 1 week later. Participants are presented with various healthy and unhealthy snack options and are told that they can select as many snack options as they would like to either eat or take with them. Their choices are recorded.