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Objective: A growing body of research suggests that exposure to too much information - particularly contradictory information that characterizes much health-related information - can lead to feeling overwhelmed. This construct has been conflated with fatalistic beliefs that are negatively associated with preventive behaviors. The objective of this study was to adapt the 8-item Cancer Information Overload (CIO) scale to assess overload of healthy diet information.Methods: Confirmatory factor analyses with a community sample of rural California adults (n = 290; 75% female; 58% Latino; 46% ≤ H.S./G.E.D.).Results: Items assessing Diet Information Overload loaded significantly on their relevant factor; factor loadings were acceptable (β >.40). The adapted original scale (CFI = 1.000, RSMEA = .000, SMSR = .022) and a shorter 5-item scale (CFI = .984, RMSEA = .051, SMSR = .026) fit well.Conclusion: The Cancer Information Overload scale was successfully adapted and shortened to measure perceptions - previously mischaracterized as fatalistic - pertaining to diet information. Improved measures distinguishing between fatalistic beliefs and outcomes of the information environment are critical.Practice Implications: Understanding information overload is important for shaping prevention messages distinct from those needed to address fatalistic beliefs. Nutrition education efforts should consider the broader - cluttered - information environment in which nutrition education and communication occurs, and public health messages may drown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Fatalism – beliefs about the causes and controllability of disease – has been negatively associated with prevention behaviors. Fatalism has been suggested as a mechanism for health disparities because ethnic minorities are especially likely to hold fatalistic beliefs. However, the construct has been criticized: Fatalism fails to account for structural barriers to health faced by vulnerable populations that also score highly on measures of fatalism. Another critique suggests that operationalizations of fatalism expose communication failures: "Fatalism" rather reflects information overload from an environment riddled with misinformation and contradictions. This study aimed to expand understanding of one mechanism through which communication may contribute to disparities by considering the context of nutrition among bicultural Latinas, who face increased risk from dietary acculturation. Method Mixed-methods (semi-structured in-depth interview, survey) with Mexican-American women ages 18–29 (n = 24) in rural California. Results Contrary to previous studies, the majority of this sample of Mexican-American women did not endorse fatalistic beliefs; most demonstrated clear understanding of the link between diet and risk of diseases: Diabetes and heart disease were understood to result from behaviors within one's control. Yet despite articulating links between diet and disease, participants felt overloaded and confused about conflicting information from public and interpersonal sources. Moreover, despite reporting feeling inundated with information, participants noted critical information gaps, distinguishing between information available and information needed. Conclusions We found minimal support for fatalistic beliefs among a sample of Mexican-American women, but considerable information overload and confusion, together with a desire for specific knowledge and skills. Results extend understanding of how communication may influence disparities: Information overload may be conflated with fatalism, challenging the notion that fatalism is a cultural belief. Moreover, inequalities in access to and ability to process information compound overload effects. We discuss opportunities to improve the clarity of communication about nutrition science and dietary recommendations. Highlights • Mexican-American women hold few or no fatalistic beliefs about diet and disease risk. • Public information about diet and nutrition contributes to information overload. • Information overload may vary geographically due to local and state policies. • Interpersonal communication adds to confusion about healthy diet and nutrition. • We situate information overload as a mechanism linking communication to disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This simulated dating experiment addresses the relative impact of photographs and self-descriptions on dating interest in White students in Los Angeles (n = 223). A previous study demonstrated that self-descriptions had little impact on dating success. This was attributed to obstacles in inspection and processing time, primacy effects, information overload, interference, mental discomfort, and low variability in descriptions. The present study controlled for these factors. Results show that for men the self-descriptions were half as important as the photographs, whereas for women the impact of the descriptions was equal to the photographs. This article includes a discussion of the contrast between findings in research on mating preference and actual dating studies, and the implications of its findings for dating and the dating industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]