Complexity of nutritional behavior: Capturing and depicting its interrelated factors in a cause-effect model

Abstract

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the complexity of nutritional behavior and to increase understanding of this complex phenomenon. We developed a cause-effect model based on current literature, expert consultation, and instruments dealing with complexity. It presents factors from all dimensions of nutrition and their direct causal relationships with specification of direction, strength, and type. Including the interplay of all relationships, the model reveals cause-effect chains, feedback loops, multicausalities, and side effects. Analyses based on the model can further enhance understanding of nutritional behavior and help identify starting points for measures to modify food consumption.