Tim Smits
Biographic Data
| ID | 3596546 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tim Smits |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tim |
| FAMILY NAME | Smits |
| SIGNATURE | SMITS T |
| AFFILIATIONS | KU Leuven |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6239-5421 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 57 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 20 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Managing online nation-branding factors in times of immigration and refugee movements
This longitudinal study compares how Belgium and Sweden have managed their nation branding online via their official Twitter (X) accounts between 2014 and 2023. Combining a large quantitative content analysis with an in-depth qualitative framing analysis, this research scrutinises the attention to different nation brand hexagon factors and the precise role immigration has played in their online branding approach, as this time period was marked by…
What are influencers feed-ing us
Healthy eating is a complex and often confusing topic, especially for young people. Conflicting advice, trends, and body ideals contribute to a stigmatising food environment in which social media influencers (SMIs) strongly shape perceptions of what counts as a 'healthy' diet. However, little is known about the specific food content that emerging adults encounter in their own social media feeds and how this influences their understanding of healt…
The perceived environmental sustainability (Pensus) scale for food and drinks
The perceived sustainability of food plays a significant role in young consumers' eating behaviors. While it is highly relevant to investigate these sustainability perceptions, the available measures are limited. Previous research has mostly relied on single-item measurements that only allow a surface-level understanding of food sustainability perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to provide researchers with a scale to measure perceptions of…
How consumers value sustainable packaging
Purpose This study investigates the combined impact of two packaging cues (i.e. packaging material, recycled content claim) and a price premium on young consumers’ product perceptions and choices. Design/methodology/approach Experimental data were collected online via a questionnaire and a hypothetical choice task completed by 221 young consumers (i.e. 19–25 years). We manipulated two packaging cues for a liquid food product: the packaging materi…
Machine learning techniques for the identification of risk factors associated with food insecurity among adults in Arab countries during the Covid-19 pandemic
The ML algorithms seem to be an effective method in early detection and prediction of food insecurity and can profoundly aid policymaking. The integration of ML approaches in public health strategies could potentially improve the development of targeted and effective interventions to combat food insecurity in these regions and globally
Persuasive packaging? The impact of packaging color and claims on young consumers’ perceptions of product healthiness, sustainability and tastiness
Intercultural insights on the impact of different non-idealized models on men's body image and advertising perceptions
This experiment with 363 Irish and Flemish men aged 19 to 30 years ( M = 23.56, SD = 2.36) investigated exposure to different male model ads (i.e. muscular, slim, plus-size, overall diversity, and no models) on well-being (i.e. body image, low body fat and muscularity attitudes, self-objectification, and self-esteem) and advertising outcomes (i.e. ad attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchase intent). Moderation effects of country and masculinity (…
Everywhere You Look, You’ll Find Food ”
This study explores what emerging adults value in food media, i.e. food-focused content and personae in media. Emerging adults (18-25) are an important target group for food media as they transition toward nutritional independence and consume media substantially. Seven semi-structured focus groups were conducted with thirty-seven Belgian participants. Thematic analysis revealed three themes ( hedonism, ability, information ) grouping nine subthem…
Strong-Form Frequentist Testing In Communication Science
This paper discusses 'strong-form' frequentist testing as a useful complement to null hypothesis testing in communication science. In a 'strong-form' set-up a researcher defines a hypothetical effect size of (minimal) theoretical interest and assesses to what extent her findings falsify or corroborate that particular hypothesis. We argue that the idea of 'strong-form' testing aligns closely with the ideals of the movements for scientific reform, …
Food for teens
Objective: To assess the relationship between exposure to social media food messages and self-reported adolescent eating outcomes (including food intake, perceived norms and food literacy). Design: A cross-sectional survey was used to assess reported exposure to core and non-core food messages (including marketing messages) on social media, as well as reported food intake, perceived norms, food literacy, attitudes, self-regulation, among others. …
Child-targeted on-pack communications in Belgian supermarkets
Persuasive on-pack marketing strategies, such as colourful images and games, affect children's preferences and requests. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of these child-directed (i.e. aimed at children) strategies on food packages at a Belgian retailer. Although previous research already demonstrated the frequency of most of these techniques directed at children, this paper extends to food pricing and facing strategies (i.…
Does Social Capital Benefit Older Adults’ Health and Well-Being? The Mediating Role of Physical Activity
Objectives: To assess whether social capital benefits older adults' self-rated health and well-being and whether physical activity mediates this relation. Methods: A survey study was conducted among members of a sociocultural organization (age ≥55 years), both cross-sectionally (baseline Time 1; N = 959) and longitudinally (3-year follow-up Time 2; N = 409). Results: Specific indicators of social capital were positively, though modestly, related …
Justify your alpha
Seeing is doing. The implicit effect of TV cooking shows on children's use of ingredients
The Persuasiveness of Child-Targeted Endorsement Strategies
The impact of image-size manipulation and sugar content on children's cereal consumption
Breakthrough or One-Hit Wonder
Three studies replicated a classroom experiment on single-exposure musical conditioning of consumer choice ( Gorn, 1982 ), testing whether simultaneous exposure to liked (vs. disliked) music and a pen image induced preferences for the shown (vs. a different) pen. Experiments 1 and 2 employed the original music, Experiment 3 used contemporary music. Experiments 2 and 3 employed hypothesis-blind experimenters. All studies incorporated post-experime…
The relevance of class in shaping authoritarian attitudes
Left-wing authoritarianism is not a myth, but a worrisome reality. Evidence from 13 Eastern European countries
A sometimes heated debate between authoritarianism researchers takes place on the issue of authoritarianism on the left. Some researchers argue that authoritarianism is typical for right-wing political orientation while other researchers assert that authoritarianism can also be found at the left side of the political spectrum. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion on left-wing authoritarianism. Us…
How probable isprobably? It depends on whom you're talking about
Two studies tested whether people interpreted verbal chance terms in a self-serving manner. Participants read statements describing the likelihood of events in their own future and in the future of a randomly chosen other. They interpreted the chance terms numerically. Chance terms were interpreted as denoting a higher probability when they were used to describe the likelihood of pleasant events in one's own future than when they were used to des…
Justify your alpha
Left-wing authoritarianism is not a myth, but a worrisome reality. Evidence from 13 Eastern European countries
A sometimes heated debate between authoritarianism researchers takes place on the issue of authoritarianism on the left. Some researchers argue that authoritarianism is typical for right-wing political orientation while other researchers assert that authoritarianism can also be found at the left side of the political spectrum. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion on left-wing authoritarianism. Us…
The relevance of class in shaping authoritarian attitudes
Does Social Capital Benefit Older Adults’ Health and Well-Being? The Mediating Role of Physical Activity
Objectives: To assess whether social capital benefits older adults' self-rated health and well-being and whether physical activity mediates this relation. Methods: A survey study was conducted among members of a sociocultural organization (age ≥55 years), both cross-sectionally (baseline Time 1; N = 959) and longitudinally (3-year follow-up Time 2; N = 409). Results: Specific indicators of social capital were positively, though modestly, related …
Seeing is doing. The implicit effect of TV cooking shows on children's use of ingredients
The impact of image-size manipulation and sugar content on children's cereal consumption
Persuasive packaging? The impact of packaging color and claims on young consumers’ perceptions of product healthiness, sustainability and tastiness
Breakthrough or One-Hit Wonder
Three studies replicated a classroom experiment on single-exposure musical conditioning of consumer choice ( Gorn, 1982 ), testing whether simultaneous exposure to liked (vs. disliked) music and a pen image induced preferences for the shown (vs. a different) pen. Experiments 1 and 2 employed the original music, Experiment 3 used contemporary music. Experiments 2 and 3 employed hypothesis-blind experimenters. All studies incorporated post-experime…
How probable isprobably? It depends on whom you're talking about
Two studies tested whether people interpreted verbal chance terms in a self-serving manner. Participants read statements describing the likelihood of events in their own future and in the future of a randomly chosen other. They interpreted the chance terms numerically. Chance terms were interpreted as denoting a higher probability when they were used to describe the likelihood of pleasant events in one's own future than when they were used to des…
Left-wing authoritarianism is not a myth, but a worrisome reality. Evidence from 13 Eastern European countries
A sometimes heated debate between authoritarianism researchers takes place on the issue of authoritarianism on the left. Some researchers argue that authoritarianism is typical for right-wing political orientation while other researchers assert that authoritarianism can also be found at the left side of the political spectrum. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion on left-wing authoritarianism. Us…
The relevance of class in shaping authoritarian attitudes
Breakthrough or One-Hit Wonder
Three studies replicated a classroom experiment on single-exposure musical conditioning of consumer choice ( Gorn, 1982 ), testing whether simultaneous exposure to liked (vs. disliked) music and a pen image induced preferences for the shown (vs. a different) pen. Experiments 1 and 2 employed the original music, Experiment 3 used contemporary music. Experiments 2 and 3 employed hypothesis-blind experimenters. All studies incorporated post-experime…
The Persuasiveness of Child-Targeted Endorsement Strategies
The impact of image-size manipulation and sugar content on children's cereal consumption
Seeing is doing. The implicit effect of TV cooking shows on children's use of ingredients
Justify your alpha
Child-targeted on-pack communications in Belgian supermarkets
Persuasive on-pack marketing strategies, such as colourful images and games, affect children's preferences and requests. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of these child-directed (i.e. aimed at children) strategies on food packages at a Belgian retailer. Although previous research already demonstrated the frequency of most of these techniques directed at children, this paper extends to food pricing and facing strategies (i.…
Does Social Capital Benefit Older Adults’ Health and Well-Being? The Mediating Role of Physical Activity
Objectives: To assess whether social capital benefits older adults' self-rated health and well-being and whether physical activity mediates this relation. Methods: A survey study was conducted among members of a sociocultural organization (age ≥55 years), both cross-sectionally (baseline Time 1; N = 959) and longitudinally (3-year follow-up Time 2; N = 409). Results: Specific indicators of social capital were positively, though modestly, related …
Food for teens
Objective: To assess the relationship between exposure to social media food messages and self-reported adolescent eating outcomes (including food intake, perceived norms and food literacy). Design: A cross-sectional survey was used to assess reported exposure to core and non-core food messages (including marketing messages) on social media, as well as reported food intake, perceived norms, food literacy, attitudes, self-regulation, among others. …
Everywhere You Look, You’ll Find Food ”
This study explores what emerging adults value in food media, i.e. food-focused content and personae in media. Emerging adults (18-25) are an important target group for food media as they transition toward nutritional independence and consume media substantially. Seven semi-structured focus groups were conducted with thirty-seven Belgian participants. Thematic analysis revealed three themes ( hedonism, ability, information ) grouping nine subthem…
Strong-Form Frequentist Testing In Communication Science
This paper discusses 'strong-form' frequentist testing as a useful complement to null hypothesis testing in communication science. In a 'strong-form' set-up a researcher defines a hypothetical effect size of (minimal) theoretical interest and assesses to what extent her findings falsify or corroborate that particular hypothesis. We argue that the idea of 'strong-form' testing aligns closely with the ideals of the movements for scientific reform, …
Machine learning techniques for the identification of risk factors associated with food insecurity among adults in Arab countries during the Covid-19 pandemic
The ML algorithms seem to be an effective method in early detection and prediction of food insecurity and can profoundly aid policymaking. The integration of ML approaches in public health strategies could potentially improve the development of targeted and effective interventions to combat food insecurity in these regions and globally
Persuasive packaging? The impact of packaging color and claims on young consumers’ perceptions of product healthiness, sustainability and tastiness
Intercultural insights on the impact of different non-idealized models on men's body image and advertising perceptions
This experiment with 363 Irish and Flemish men aged 19 to 30 years ( M = 23.56, SD = 2.36) investigated exposure to different male model ads (i.e. muscular, slim, plus-size, overall diversity, and no models) on well-being (i.e. body image, low body fat and muscularity attitudes, self-objectification, and self-esteem) and advertising outcomes (i.e. ad attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchase intent). Moderation effects of country and masculinity (…
How consumers value sustainable packaging
Purpose This study investigates the combined impact of two packaging cues (i.e. packaging material, recycled content claim) and a price premium on young consumers’ product perceptions and choices. Design/methodology/approach Experimental data were collected online via a questionnaire and a hypothetical choice task completed by 221 young consumers (i.e. 19–25 years). We manipulated two packaging cues for a liquid food product: the packaging materi…
The perceived environmental sustainability (Pensus) scale for food and drinks
The perceived sustainability of food plays a significant role in young consumers' eating behaviors. While it is highly relevant to investigate these sustainability perceptions, the available measures are limited. Previous research has mostly relied on single-item measurements that only allow a surface-level understanding of food sustainability perceptions. Therefore, this research aims to provide researchers with a scale to measure perceptions of…
Managing online nation-branding factors in times of immigration and refugee movements
This longitudinal study compares how Belgium and Sweden have managed their nation branding online via their official Twitter (X) accounts between 2014 and 2023. Combining a large quantitative content analysis with an in-depth qualitative framing analysis, this research scrutinises the attention to different nation brand hexagon factors and the precise role immigration has played in their online branding approach, as this time period was marked by…
What are influencers feed-ing us
Healthy eating is a complex and often confusing topic, especially for young people. Conflicting advice, trends, and body ideals contribute to a stigmatising food environment in which social media influencers (SMIs) strongly shape perceptions of what counts as a 'healthy' diet. However, little is known about the specific food content that emerging adults encounter in their own social media feeds and how this influences their understanding of healt…
Psychology (12 works) · Advertising (6 works) · Business (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Food Science (5 works) · Medicine (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification (4 works) · Eating Disorders and Behaviors (4 works)