Role of Higher Education to Adjust the Impulse Eating-Buying Behavior. A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Individual traits as impulsivity, used as emotion regulation or reward, trigger the increased consumption of unhealthy food, which affects the academic performance. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of research published on impulsive eating and buying that helps enhance the higher education learning environments, to provide direction to the scientific knowledge to deliver a better understanding of impulsive actions and self-regulation. Three databases on literature related to the two terms from 1962 to June 2020, drawn from Scopus and WoS, were reviewed. The methodology is based on co-citation and cluster analysis, using two analytic tools: VOSviewer and CitNetExplorer. Main authors, keywords, affiliations, and sources on this research area are determined. Co-citation and coupling analysis show up a closer relationship between the two fields. As a result of clustering, six research streams are identified: (1) cognitive and trait influences on impulsiveness, (2) children and habits, (3) adolescents, (4) consumer behavior, (5) emotion control, and (6) personality and reward. Finally, a research agenda is proposed. The findings of this research highlight the importance of the role that education institutions are playing in order to promote healthy eating and access to healthy food consumption in their communities.