U. S. researchers have said that a "stealth" strategy motivates students to change eating habits for environmental and social reasons, not personal health.

Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study found students taking a course on the ethical, environmental and social ramifications of food consumption made healthier eating choices than students taking one of three courses dealing with the health aspects of food such as obesity.

Researchers at California's Stanford University Medical Center said decisions based on the greater good, for example, cutting back on processed food and eating more locally grown vegetables to help curb global warming, resulted in more healthful eating than personal eating decisions made by students taking health courses.

Senior author Dr. Thomas Robinson said in a statement, "This is a novel strategy, and we believe it is an important new direction to pursue. When people get involved in social movements, it changes their behavior more dramatically than what we've seen with more cognitive-based approaches." (With Inputs from Agencies)