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Overweight and obesity are argued to be one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century, partly explained by the excessive consumption of foods and beverages that have a high energy density and are also highly palatable. Consequently, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to these choices in order to find ways of promoting healthier decisions. Priming involves the activation of a mental concept in memory which increases the accessibility of this concept and the likelihood it will be assimilated into subsequent information processing. Priming is an important phenomenon for the simple reason that priming occurs automatically outside of awareness, meaning there is no way for an individual to counter the prime stimuli perceived. Therefore, the main aim of this thesis was to gain a deeper understanding of how prime stimuli specifically influence eating and drinking behaviour. Chapter Two is a systematic review that explicated the present state of the field by identifying all the research to date that has examined the effects of priming on the choice and intake of foods and beverages. One of the main findings of the review was that the majority of research has been laboratory-based with few studies conducted in the field. Therefore, Chapter Three is a field study that aimed to examine the effect of priming on snack choice in a real-world setting; this study also employed food-related logos as prime stimuli to more closely reflect the stimuli encountered in daily life. As the study found no effect of the prime stimuli on snack choice, Chapter Four examined whether unhealthy food-related logos could increase the selection of unhealthy foods in a laboratory setting. The results showed that participants in the prime condition were no more likely to select unhealthy foods than participants in the control condition, although this may have been due to the priming task employed. As priming effects are automatic, Chapter Five examined whether a brief mindfulness exercise could reduce the influence of automatic processes and increase the influence of conscious processes as measured by two cognitive tests. Although the results showed no difference between the conditions on either of the cognitive tests, trait measures of mindfulness and rational thinking style showed a strong positive correlation that was highly significant. Overall, the potential for brand logos to act as prime stimuli and the potential for mindfulness to reduce the influence of automatic processes both require further research. Although these are fairly new areas of research, the findings could have significant implications for future policies that are introduced to tackle the present obesity epidemic.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a chronic pain condition that can affect men of any age, and has an estimated prevalence of up to 16% (Mehik, Hellström, Lukkarinen, Sarpola, & Järvelin, 2000). Aetiology is currently unknown, and it is a highly heterogeneous condition characterised by persistent pain in the pelvic region, urinary difficulties, and sexual dysfunction. Current literature indicates that it pervades many aspects of men’s lives, and is associated with a significantly impaired quality of life, comparable to other long-term conditions such as Crohn’s disease, diabetes mellitus, and congestive heart failure (McNaughton Collins et al., 2001; Wenninger, Heiman, Rothman, Berghuis, & Berger, 1996). Despite this, extremely few studies have explored men’s experiences of living with CP/CPPS. This study aimed to increase understanding of men’s experiences of living with CP/CPPS, with a particular consideration of how they influence and are influenced by social contexts and relationships. A qualitative approach was adopted, and data from 8 semi-structured interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. All participants were based in the UK and had a diagnosis of CP/CPPS. Duration of illness within the sample ranged from 3 to 43 years. Three overarching themes were constructed: ‘trying to make sense of what is “wrong” in “a spiral of confusion,”’ ‘managing day-to-day with an illness that is debilitating and unpredictable,’ and ‘sociality and isolation.’ Similar to other studies, it was found that participants often experienced CP/CPPS as an overwhelming and frightening illness, which could challenge day-to-day life, and the assumptions men held about themselves. Relationships and social contexts were found to be important contexts in which participants sought support and made sense of what it meant to live with CP/CPPS. A number of clinical and research implications are discussed, highlighting that there is much more that can be done to alleviate suffering for men affected by CP/CPPS.