{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T05:43:38Z","timestamp":1785908618059,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785888000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Healthy food choice often requires people to balance immediate reward against longer-term health considerations. The present study examined whether ego depletion and compensatory health beliefs (CHB) were associated with healthy food choice in a two-wave sample of Chinese university students. A total of 394 participants completed measures of ego depletion and CHB and a six-trial binary food-choice task at baseline and again 6\u202fmonths later. Healthy choices were analyzed both at the trial level using a generalized linear mixed-effects model and at the total-score level using a linear mixed-effects model. At the trial level, higher ego depletion and stronger CHB were both associated with a lower likelihood of choosing the healthier option, whereas the ego depletion \u00d7 CHB interaction was statistically significant but directionally unexpected and treated as exploratory. A robustness analysis based on the total healthy-choice score replicated the negative main effects, whereas the interaction was only marginally significant. In the longitudinal model, baseline healthy choice was the strongest predictor of follow-up behavior, while ego depletion did not independently predict follow-up choice and CHB showed only a trend-level association. Changes in ego depletion covaried with changes in healthy choice, although the observational change-score analysis does not establish causal direction. Overall, the findings point to substantial stability in dietary decision-making and suggest that ego depletion and CHB have modest, primarily concurrent associations with healthy food choice.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1862584","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T04:44:05Z","timestamp":1785905045000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ego depletion, compensatory health beliefs, and healthy food choice in Chinese university students: a two-wave longitudinal study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Jiping","family":"He","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanxi University of Medicine","place":["Fenyang, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoyun","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health and Wellness, City University of Macau","place":["Macau SAR, China"]},{"name":"Department of Nursing, Shanxi University of Medicine","place":["Fenyang, Shanxi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuyi","family":"Jia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health and Wellness, City University of Macau","place":["Macau SAR, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yanming","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health and Wellness, City University of Macau","place":["Macau SAR, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"444","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2014.00444","article-title":"Effortless inhibition: habit mediates the relation between self-control and unhealthy snack consumption","volume":"5","author":"Adriaanse","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2017.04.016","article-title":"The role of compensatory health beliefs in eating behavior change: a mixed method study","volume":"116","author":"Amrein","year":"2017","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104996","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2020.104996","article-title":"Compensatory health beliefs and unhealthy snack consumption in daily life","volume":"157","author":"Amrein","year":"2021","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1007\/s10865-024-00469-3","article-title":"Investigating psychological mechanisms of self-controlled decisions for food and leisure activity","volume":"47","author":"Bailey","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Behav. Med."},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1252","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.74.5.1252","article-title":"Ego depletion: is the active self a limited resource?","volume":"74","author":"Baumeister","year":"1998","journal-title":"J. Pers. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x","article-title":"The strength model of self-control","volume":"16","author":"Baumeister","year":"2007","journal-title":"Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E11238","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1717092115","article-title":"Training in cognitive strategies reduces eating and improves food choice","volume":"115","author":"Boswell","year":"2018","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1143831","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1143831","article-title":"Development of Chinese food picture library for inducing food cravings","volume":"14","author":"Cai","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"645","DOI":"10.1007\/s00426-017-0862-x","article-title":"An updated meta-analysis of the ego depletion effect","volume":"82","author":"Dang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol. Res."},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"291","DOI":"10.1177\/1088868315597841","article-title":"The nature of self-regulatory fatigue and \u201cego depletion\u201d: lessons from physical fatigue","volume":"20","author":"Evans","year":"2016","journal-title":"Personal. Soc. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"280","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2015.09.027","article-title":"From perceived autonomy support to intentional behaviour: testing an integrated model in three healthy-eating behaviours","volume":"96","author":"Girelli","year":"2016","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.1037\/mot0000294","article-title":"Effects of habit and intention on behavior: meta-analysis and test of key moderators","volume":"9","author":"Hagger","year":"2023","journal-title":"Motiv. Sci."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"495","DOI":"10.1037\/a0019486","article-title":"Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: a meta-analysis","volume":"136","author":"Hagger","year":"2010","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"646","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1168450","article-title":"Self-control in decision-making involves modulation of the vmPFC valuation system","volume":"324","author":"Hare","year":"2009","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"607","DOI":"10.1080\/0887044042000196737","article-title":"Compensatory health beliefs: scale development and psychometric properties","volume":"19","author":"Kn\u00e4uper","year":"2004","journal-title":"Psychol. Health"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1177\/0956797617737871","article-title":"Calorie labeling promotes dietary self-control by shifting the temporal dynamics of health- and taste-attribute integration in overweight individuals","volume":"29","author":"Lim","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.2147\/JPR.S40014","article-title":"Self-regulatory fatigue in chronic multisymptom illnesses: scale development, fatigue, and self-control","volume":"6","author":"Nes","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Pain Res."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"139","DOI":"10.1348\/135910705X52237","article-title":"The eternal quest for optimal balance between maximizing pleasure and minimizing harm: the compensatory health beliefs model","volume":"11","author":"Rabiau","year":"2006","journal-title":"Br. J. Health Psychol."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"280","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2018.05.006","article-title":"Health warnings promote healthier dietary decision making: effects of positive versus negative message framing and graphic versus text-based warnings","volume":"127","author":"Rosenblatt","year":"2018","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1177\/0956797614559543","article-title":"Dietary self-control is related to the speed with which attributes of healthfulness and tastiness are processed","volume":"26","author":"Sullivan","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1604","DOI":"10.1093\/ije\/dyab050","article-title":"Analyses of \u201cchange scores\u201d do not estimate causal effects in observational data","volume":"51","author":"Tennant","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1313","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01951.x","article-title":"Reflections on past behavior: a self-report index of habit strength","volume":"33","author":"Verplanken","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Appl. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"290","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.1000-6729.2015.04.010","article-title":"Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the self-regulatory fatigue scale in young adults","volume":"29","author":"Wang","year":"2015","journal-title":"Chin. Ment. Health J."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"843","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-295X.114.4.843","article-title":"A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface","volume":"114","author":"Wood","year":"2007","journal-title":"Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"663","DOI":"10.16842\/j.cnki.issn2095-5588.2022.11.003","article-title":"Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the health compensation belief scale","volume":"10","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Psychology: Techniques and Applications"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"705991","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.705991","article-title":"Compensatory belief in health behavior management: a concept analysis","volume":"12","author":"Zhao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1862584\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T04:44:16Z","timestamp":1785905056000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1862584\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"references-count":26,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1862584"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1862584","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]]},"article-number":"1862584"}}