Gendered eating: Can gender role orientations explain gender differences in healthy eating?

Although differences in healthy eating between women and men have been documented, with women generally adhering to healthier diets, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Therefore, the current study investigated whether gender role orientations (i.e. an individual’s identification with certain characteristics that are traditionally associated with femininity and masculinity) mediate the relation between gender and healthy eating as well as with its antecedents according to the Health Action Process Approach (i.e. risk perception, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, and intention). In total, 825 participants engaged in a pre-registered, cross-sectional online survey. Both feminine and masculine gender role orientations were positively associated with healthy eating and its antecedents – except masculinity for risk perception – and mediated their relation with gender accordingly. The results challenge the previous assumption, that masculinity is detrimental to healthy eating and highlight the potential for leveraging both – femininity- and masculinity-related aspects in designing gender-sensitive health interventions.