Discussion
In this study of 118 peri- and post-menopausal Asian women participating in a dietary intervention trial, we found that most women had a positive perception towards soya. Asian women commonly looked for information about soya on the internet, while information from health professionals was least reported. Our findings also show that motivation and opportunity facilitated the regular consumption of soya, while psychological capability was the most common barrier to consumption. Interestingly, women in the soya dietary arm were more likely to report changes in their perception of soya and influence on their consumption over time.Most women participating in our soya intervention trial were largely motivated to consume soya regularly by automatic and reflective motivation. Participants commonly reported their enjoyment of soya products, regular dietary routine or their belief that soya was good for their health as reasons for consumption (Supplementary Table S1). Previous studies with predominantly Western populations also commonly reported a positive perception towards soya with the most common reasons for consumption being the enjoyment of soya foods and to engage in a more healthy dietOur findings also show that social opportunity was an important motivator of consumption. A study by Tu and colleaguesInterestingly, factors within the psychological capability domain were the most commonly reported barriers to consumption, such as knowledge about the type of soyabeans or the content of soya foods. It is likely that the barriers to consuming soya are population dependent. For example, the barriers observed in Western cohort studies were the dislike of the taste, texture or appearance of soya and uncertainty about how to cook or prepare soyaCompared to participants in the supplement and negative control arm, soya dietary participants became more motivated to maintain a regular consumption of soya by their intentions and were less likely to report psychological capability as a barrier. Previous studies investigating the effect of intervention in increasing patient physical activity levels reported that engagement with the intervention increases patient knowledge of the health benefits of physical activity and this further improves their ability to maintain activityIn this cohort, the internet was reported as the most common source of information about soya. Previous studies have emphasised the need for healthcare professionals to play a more active role in communicating clearer messages about soya