Does habit strength moderate the intention-behaviour relationship in the Theory of Planned Behaviour? The case of fruit consumption

The present study examined if habit strength moderated the influence of intention on fruit consumption in a Dutch adult sample ( N = 521, 46.3% males, mean age 34.50, SD = 10.87), using the theoretical relations of the Theory of Planned Behaviour ( TPB). TPB variables and habit strength were assessed at baseline. Fruit consumption was assessed with a validated questionnaire five weeks later. Three groups were created: low habit strength ( n = 180), medium habit strength ( n = 185) and high habit strength ( n = 156). Confirmatory factor analyses and multi-group path analyses were performed using AMOS 4.0. A good fit was obtained for the overall measurement model and the structural models. Multi-group path analyses showed that intention was a significant predictor of fruit consumption in the low habit ( beta = 0.36, p < 0.001) and medium habit group (beta = 0.30, p < 0.001), but a non-significant predictor in the high habit group (beta = 0.05, p = 0.596). Implications for information-based and motivation-based interventions are discussed.