Emotional Eating

Background. Food addiction is often linked to overeating and difficulty in controlling eating habits. At the same time, food addiction is often associated with intense eating-related thoughts and emotional eating behaviors. However, despite extensive research on food addiction, the psychological processes that contribute to these outcomes have not been fully examined. Consequently, this study aims to fill that gap by investigating the influence of eating-related thoughts, as well as emotional eating behaviors that may precede episodes of uncontrolled eating. Methods. A cross-sectional design was used. A sample of 467 individuals was enrolled from the general population. Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires. A sequential mediation analysis with latent variables (i.e., structural equation modeling; SEM) using 5000 bootstrap samples and observed variables was performed. Results. The proposed model provides good fit indices. Indeed, food addiction predicts uncontrolled eating behaviors through eating-related thoughts (p < 0.001), which were also significantly associated with the emotion-driven eating patterns (p < 0.001), revealing a fully mediated model explaining 61.6% of the outcome variance (R 2 = 0.616). Discussion. The findings underscore the critical influence of cognitive factors (i.e., eating-related thoughts) in driving maladaptive coping mechanisms like emotional eating. Moreover, emotional eating may act as a precursor to behaviors associated with overeating, which are often rooted in food addiction. Conclusions. Recognizing the central role of thoughts and emotions can help clinicians develop more targeted psychological interventions for those experiencing food addiction symptoms.

The literature points to the importance of distinguishing between positive and negative emotional eating in relation to overeating and binge eating. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Spanish version of the Positive-Negative Emotional Eating Scale (PNEES) in a Spanish community sample. The sample consisted of 628 participants. The mean age was 27.5 (SD = 12.7) and 70.1% of them were women. The participants completed the PNEES, and measures of anxiety and depression (HADS), and eating disorder-related scales (TFEQ-R18, BULIT-R, and EAT-26) that were selected to examine convergent validity. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, replicating the original two-factor solution, consisting of Negative Emotional Eating (PNEES-N) and Positive Emotional Eating (PNEES-P). The results showed an acceptable fit of the model (CFI = 0.986; TLI = 0.984, RMSEA = 0.055). Internal consistency ranged from ω = 0.92 to ω = 0.96 for both subscales and the total score. PNEES-P correlations wit...

Background The relationship between adolescent obesity and eating disorders is an issue that needs urgent attention. Screening for eating disorders is as important as dietary interventions to treat obesity. This study aimed to determine the relationship between hedonic hunger, food addiction, and night eating syndrome, which are considered potential risk factors for obesity, and body mass index (BMI) in adolescents. The data were collected through an online questionnaire. The "Power of Food Scale (PFS)" was used to assess hedonic hunger; the "Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 (dYFAS-C 2.0)" was used to assess food addiction; and the "Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ)" was used to assess night eating syndrome (NES)". BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight values of adolescents. The mediated structural model analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of hedonic hunger on BMI z score via food addiction and NES. The study was conducted with 614 voluntary adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. The dYFAS-C 2.0 and NEQ scores were found to be higher in adolescents with overweight and obesity, and the BMI z-score of the adolescents had significant positive correlation with their PFS scores (p < .001). Hedonic hunger has no direct effect on BMI independent of food addiction and NES (β = -0.051, p = .468), but when the total indirect effect is evaluated with the bootstrap analysis, it was found that one-unit increase in hedonic hunger score increases BMI z-score by approximately 0.22 units (β = 0.223, SE = 0.046, 95% CI 0.131-0.313). Hedonic hunger, food addiction, and NES together explained 5.2% of the total variance in BMI z score. This study showed that hedonic hunger significantly predicted BMI z-score in adolescents through food addiction and NES. This emphasizes the critical importance of evaluating adolescents in terms of hedonic hunger, food addiction, and NES in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of obesity.

Background: Emotional eating, the tendency to overeat in response to negative emotions, has often been linked to weight gain. However, scant evidence exists examining prevalence and correlates of emotional eating among large samples of adults in the United States (US). Hence, we examine the relationship between individual and socio-economic factors, health behaviors, and self-regulation to emotional eating patterns among US adults. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 5,863 Family Health Habits Survey participants. Multivariable ordered logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between the frequency of the desire to eat when emotionally upset (never, rarely, sometimes, often, and very often) to the independent variables. Results: Analysis reveals that 20.5% of the sample tended to emotionally eat often or very often. Being female, non-Hispanic white, and of younger age were all related to a higher likelihood of emotional eating. Additionally, inability to delay gr...

The prevalence of obesity among U.S. youth continues to increase, with many adolescents engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors. Increasingly, research points to the role of self-regulation in obesity development, yet existing work has largely focused on young children and/or clinical adult populations. This multi-method longitudinal study (N = 153) utilized a path analysis to delineate links between emotion regulation (age 15), emotional eating and dietary restraint (age 16), and adiposity (% body fat) using a BodPod for body composition assessment (age 19). Emotion regulation was negatively associated with emotional eating (β = -0.30, p < 0.001) and positively associated with dietary restraint (β = 0.15, p < 0.05) at age 16, but was not associated with age 19 adiposity (β = -0.01, p = ns). Emotional eating was positively associated with adiposity (β = 0.24, p < 0.01). Indirect effects suggested that emotional eating, but not dietary restraint, at age 16 serves as a mechanism that helps explain the associations between emotion regulation and adiposity four years later. Results from this study suggest that both emotion regulation and emotional eating represent promising targets for that should be included in future interventions aimed at preventing adolescent obesity.

Many people who are exposed to social and media pressures make various efforts to reach the ‘thin’ body ideal. In developed and Westernized societies, excessive importance is given to body size, weight and appearance. This situation causes disruptions in eating behavior in individuals. Deterioration in eating behaviors can be detected by indicators such as the increase in the number of diet clinics, the increase in diet recommendations in the press and media, and the spread of weight control drugs in pharmacies. For this reason, although there are those who are in favor of it today, according to some people, there is also an increase in the number of those who advocate the application of an intuitive nutrition approach to the deterioration in eating behaviors that begins with aesthetic concerns such as diet practices, surgical interventions and excessive exercises.
In the process of intuitive eating, less restrictions regarding food and feeling less guilty when eaten, as well as less disordered eating and eating by controlling emotions, come to the fore. These discussions bring to the fore the need to pay attention to eating trends and eating behavior studies, especially in today’s gastronomy and culinary arts. Likewise, when combined with marketing science, knowing the consumers who engage in intuitive eating behavior in marketing studies in food and beverage businesses, such as market research and marketing mix creation, is very important, especially in order to segment the market. In this context, in the study, intuitive eating, eating behavior and eating disorders were mentioned within the framework of eating behavior. It is aimed to create a map for researchers interested in these issues.

Objective:This study aimed to (1) evaluate the prevalence and predictors of perceived depression, anxiety, stress (DAS) levels and emotional eating behaviours and (2) determine the correlations between DAS levels and emotional eating behaviours during the pandemic.Design:An online cross-sectional study included questions about demographic and anthropometric characteristics, dietary habits, Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. The snowball sampling method was used.Setting:Türkiye.Participants:The study population was 2002 adults aged ≥18 years.Result:The mean age was 27·1 ± 9·52 years (72·1 % females and 27·9 % males). The prevalence of moderate to severe DAS was reported as 27·8 %, 30·5 % and 30·7 %, respectively. Skipping meals (OR = 1·32, 95 % CI (1·14, 1·49)) was associated with depression. Weight gain (OR = 1·43, 95 % CI (1·19, 1·66); OR = 1·30, 95 % CI (1·14, 1·49); OR = 1·39, 95 % CI (1·14, 1·64)), weight loss (OR = 1·45, 95 % CI (1·20,...

Objectives Parents and caregivers shape the social and environmental factors that influence a child&#39;s intake and eating behaviors. Parental feeding practices may lead to recurring emotional eating in the child. Mindful eating practices may decrease emotional eating behaviors in adults and adolescents. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the influence of parental mindful eating on emotional eating behaviors of their children and adolescents. A second purpose of this systematic review was to determine whether parental or child participation in a mindful eating intervention improves emotional eating among children. Methods This review (PROSPERO 168,265) was conducted utilizing EBSCOhost to search five databases. The search was limited to full-text, peer-reviewed studies in the English language from 2014–2020. Studies included must have evaluated parental mindful eating and child emotion- or stress-related eating. Studies were excluded if parents were not involv...

Emotion can reflect in the perception of food consumption. An increase in food intake during emotional and psychological conditions may have a negative impact on human health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between food consumption, emotional eating behavior, and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, boredom eating, maintaining vigilance and alertness, and emotional food consolation. We used a Motivations for Food Choices Questionnaire (Eating Motivations, EATMOT) to determine the emotional aspects of food consumption in 9052 respondents living in 12 European countries between October 2017 and March 2018. Ordinal linear regression was used to identify the associations between the emotional eating behavior and emotional conditions such as stress, depression, loneliness, emotional consolation, and reasons to improve physical and psychological conditions. The regression models confirmed the associations between food consum...

Aim: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among municipal bus drivers in İstanbul province and explore the intricate relationships between weight status, physical activity levels, stress perception, emotional eating tendencies, and dietary patterns within this occupational group. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 380 bus drivers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a data collection tool consisting of an information form, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Emotional Eating Scale (EES), and 24-hour Dietary Recall. Results: The findings revealed that 85.8% of the participants were overweight (52.6%) or with obesity (33.2%). The mean PSS score was 25.8±6.7, and the mean EES score was 29.3±10.8. The participants exhibited low physical activity levels (96.1%), with a mean of 246.2±165.4, signifying inactivity. Weak positive correlations were found between PSS and ESS scores. Dietary analysis showed a moderate energy intake of 1674.4±429.5 kcal. Individual variability in energy intake and nutrient consumption patterns was evident. Conclusion: The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among municipal bus drivers highlights the importance of targeted interventions for improved lifestyle and reduced health risks in this occupational group.

The current study aimed to examine the role of binge eating (BE) in explaining weight loss in patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) for severe obesity. Participants were 49 patients (13 males and 36 females) who completed questionnaires two weeks prior and three and six months after their operation. Predictor measures of weight loss included pre and postoperative BE and changes in BE following surgery. A decrease in BE as a consequence of having surgery was able to significantly predict postoperative weight loss. Many surgical services currently screen patients for BE at baseline to identify those most suitable for surgery. This study suggests that this process may be redundant as the results indicate that it is not the presence of BE pre-or postoperatively which are predictive of treatment-induced weight loss, but whether patients' BE behaviours decrease or persist in response to surgery. Future research therefore should seek to identify predictors of decreased BE following surgery in order to enhance candidate selection and improve the efficacy of this form of obesity management.

The aim of the present chapter is to present a conceptual framework for examining associations between eating, drinking and wellbeing. The approach is exemplified by considering two topics which have received considerable attention, namely the effects of consumption of breakfast and ingestion of caffeine. It is argued that other aspects of diet can be considered in a similar way once the volume of research reaches appropriate levels. The first feature of the current approach to wellbeing is that it is multi-factorial. Research on diet and health has confirmed the view that there is more to health than the absence of disease. Being able to function efficiently, both mentally and physically, is an important part of wellbeing. Similarly, the absence of negative affective states (negative mood, stress, anxiety and depression) and the presence of positive emotions (positive affect, happiness, and life satisfaction) have long been recognised as key features of wellbeing. Previous research has investigated the relationship between diet and well-being, with some topics such as the effect of a healthy diet (e.g. consumption of breakfast, fruit and vegetables and oily fish) or a bad diet (e.g. junk food) being widely studied. Other aspects of eating and drinking require further attention (e.g. eating super-foods such as broccoli; effects of BMI; emotional eating; and consumption of foods which change the gut microbiome-pre-biotics and probiotics). There are three major problems with most of the previous research. First, the different dietary topics are often studied in isolation, which clearly misrepresents the real-life situation. Secondly, wellbeing is influenced by other established predictors (psychosocial factors such as stress, social support, personality and coping styles; health-related behaviours such as exercise, and sleep) and these are rarely controlled for. Thirdly, most of the research involves cross-sectional studies. What is now needed are multi-variate, longitudinal studies of eating, drinking and wellbeing. Such research will elucidate underlying biological mechanisms and develop practical approaches of preventing and managing negative effects and maximising positive ones.

Aims: Individuals may consume more food than normal in response to negative emotions such as anxiety or irritability. One of the eating problems in which this food is consumed is defi ned as emotional eating, and emotional eating is an eating disorder that describes the tendency to overeat in response to negative emotions. The study was carried out to analyze the effect of anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic upon emotional eating in university students. Methods: This descriptive research was conducted in May-June 2020 with 718 students who continue their university education in Turkey, have internet access and volunteer to participate in the research. Data were collected by snowball method by sending the survey link via Whatsapp groups. Data were collected online using the Descriptive Questionnaire, the State Anxiety Scale and the Emotional Eating Scale. The participant’s statement was taken as a basis for the measurement values of body weight and height. Ethical principles were ob...

Emotional eating behavior is characterized by eating a large amount of calorie dense sweet and/or high fat foods in an attempt to control, cope with, or avoid negative emotions. Numerous factors are likely to contribute to emotional eating behavior, including attentional factors, such as rumination and avoidance coping. Rumination based emotional eating (attention focused on negative stimuli while mindlessly eating) is often utilized to improve mood while dwelling on problems. However, for those inclined to escape/avoid troublesome thoughts, another type of emotional-eating pattern may be used. By focusing attention on food, emotional eating is believed to distract individuals from negative emotions. However, along with avoiding distressing thoughts, a strong attentional focus on food may also lead to diminished attention resources and subsequently the missing of self-preserving thoughts (e.g. dietary restraint or satiety). While Denke & Lamm (2015) explored neural mechanisms underlying rumination based emotional eating, to the best of our knowledge, no one has investigated the neural correlates underlying avoidance based emotional eating. This study examined how attentional subprocesses contribute to emotional eating behavior among female participants in a task designed to explore escape type emotional-eating behavior. Dense-array EEG and a version of the canonical attentional blink task were used to ascertain the neural correlates underlying the attentional sub-processes and how attentional activation differs for emotional eaters vs. nonemotional eaters. Findings do not support the food fixation escape type emotional-eater hypothesis, but do indicate task validity.

Emotional eating behavior is characterized by eating a large amount of calorie dense sweet and/or high fat foods in an attempt to control, cope with, or avoid negative emotions. Numerous factors are likely to contribute to emotional eating behavior, including attentional factors, such as rumination and avoidance coping. Rumination based emotional eating (attention focused on negative stimuli while mindlessly eating) is often utilized to improve mood while dwelling on problems. However, for those inclined to escape/avoid troublesome thoughts, another type of emotional-eating pattern may be used. By focusing attention on food, emotional eating is believed to distract individuals from negative emotions. However, along with avoiding distressing thoughts, a strong attentional focus on food may also lead to diminished attention resources and subsequently the missing of self-preserving thoughts (e.g. dietary restraint or satiety). While Denke & Lamm (2015) explored neural mechanisms underl...

In this conceptual paper, an effort has been made to find out the factors responsible for emotional stability of the students who are in their late adolescence (18-21 years). Emotional stability is an important personality trait of an individual and also an essential part of mental health. Emotional stability refers to a person's ability to stay stable and balanced. In recent times the COVID-19 pandemic hits the whole world and people are going through a myriad of psychological problems. The mental health of the adolescents is affected a lot and they are unable to stay emotionally stable. The 'New Normal' added more challenges in their life in the form of online classes, less career opportunities, problems in adjusting to the current lifestyle, financial constraints and fear to virus disease (COVID-19), these challenges affected emotional stability. Based on literature review, few factors responsible for emotional stability have emerged in normal time as well as in the pandemic time. In addition, focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted with behavioral scientists to validate the contributory factors. The important factors which have emerged as contributing to emotional stability are: gender, caste, family structure, age, working status of mother, socioeconomic status, emotional maturity, parent child relationship, remote online classes, fear of COVID-19, and uncertainty about future perspective of academics and career. Since the research is based on extensive review of literature, further it can be extended by collecting data through questionnaire and analyzing with the help of statistical tools. The findings will contribute towards developing a model of emotional stability for students.

This paper focuses on the Effect of Economic Depression on Human Body and Strategies for nutritional resilience. The researchers observed that, in times of economic hardship, managing finances becomes crucial for people struggling with the economy. However, healthy dietary practices have been linked to decreased depression symptoms. The relationship between economic depression and nutrition is a complex and multifaceted issue that has significant implications for human well-being. The profound impact of economic depression on nutrition extends well beyond financial metrics, casting a formidable shadow on the daily lives of individuals and communities. Elevated unemployment rates amid dwindling wages conspire to reshape dietary habits, forcing individuals to compromise on the nutritional content of their meals. When money is tight, it also affects what we eat. People might not be able to afford healthy food, and that can cause stress, anxiety, sadness and other health problems. The stress can even affect our bodies, like our hearts and brains. The paper concludes that, in response to the formidable challenges posed by economic downturns, the formulation of resilient strategies for nutritional well-being emerges as a critical imperative. Adopting healthy coping mechanisms, such as exercise, mindfulness, and social support, can buffer the negative effects of stress on mental health. Engaging in physical activity releases endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones, can equally improve mood and reduce stress. While, unhealthy coping strategies, such as substance abuse or avoidance behaviors, may provide temporary relief but can exacerbate mental health issues in the long run.

The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and strict quarantine increased the likelihood of mental symptoms and abnormal eating behaviours. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of emotional eating (EE) among nurses working in Lebanese hospitals and its association with mental health. A cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses aged between 18 and 50 years working in Lebanese hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak and the economic crisis. A total of 303 nurses consented to participate. The mean EE score was 28.56 (±8.11). The results of this study revealed that 53.8% of the nurses reported depression, 58.1% suffered from anxiety and 95.1% experienced either moderate or severe stress. The study concluded that females (β = 8.112, P = 0.004), non-smokers (β =-4.732, P = 0.01) and depressed nurses (β = 0.596, P = 0.046) had a higher tendency towards EE. Additionally, it was found that EE was associated with weight gain (β = 6.048, P = 0.03) and increased consumption of fried foods (β = 5.223, P = 0.001). Females experienced more stress (β = 2.244, P = 0.003) and anxiety (β = 1.526, P = 0.021) than their male counterparts. With regard to mental health, depression was associated with weight gain (β = 2.402, P = 0.003) and with lower consumption of healthy foods such as nuts (β =-1.706, P = 0.009) and dishes prepared with sofrito sauce (β =-1.378, P = 0.012). These results can help the health authorities to design preparedness plans to ensure proper mental and physical well-being of nurses during any unforeseen emergencies.

ObjectiveTo examine the influence of emotional eating and lack of cognitive reappraisal on eating pathology in women with binge‐purge and restricting type eating disorders.MethodWomen with a diagnosis of anorexia or bulimia nervosa according to the DSM‐IV‐tr (n = 50) and non‐clinical women without eating disorders (n = 52) were asked about emotional eating tendencies, adaptive emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal) and eating pathology symptoms.ResultsIn binge‐purging women, emotional eating with limited use of cognitive reappraisal predicted level of eating pathology but not in the restricting and non‐clinical women.DiscussionEmotional eating tendencies in combination with a low tendency to use cognitive reappraisal may influence the severity of eating pathology in individuals with binge‐purge behaviours. Evidently, patients with these characteristics require a therapy that addresses adaptive emotion regulation skills. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eati...

This study aims to investigate eating behaviors in Cuban adults and compare them with those of a developed Western country, Italy. The study also aimed to determine the overall accuracy of a predictive model intended to define variables which could be used to discriminate between nationalities. Participants were 283 normal weight individuals from Cuba (n = 158) and Italy (n = 125). Italians had higher scores for restrained eating on the questionnaire than Cubans with a considerable effect size. This trend was also found for emotional eating and binge eating, as well as number of current dieters, despite the fact that effect sizes were small. On the other hand, Cubans, when compared to Italians reported higher scores for food thought suppression with reward responsiveness and restrained eating emerging as significant predictors of betweencountry differences. To conclude, eating behaviors in Cubans could be different from those reported in European countries, perhaps as a consequence of Cuba's recent history.

Mentalizing is the ability to understand mental states of self and others. A mature mentalizing capacity is facilitated by the affective bond formed in a stable early attachment relationship. Therefore, mentalizing is crucial for affect regulation and the subjective experience of unpleasant emotions. Emotional eating, a coping mechanism to overcome negative feelings, is assumed to have stemmed from insecure attachment manifested through deficit in emotional regulation and mentalizing abilities. The research suggests that emotional eating has the potential to progress into an eating disorder. A timely intervention would be a remedy to prevent emotional eating behaviours from progressing into eating disorders. Aim: To evaluate the impact of Mentalization Based Treatment on Emotional Eating Behaviour. Method: A pretest-post-test quasi experimental design without control group was used in the study. The participants included 7 female university students indulging in emotional eating behaviour selected through purposive sampling method. The Emotional eating scale (EES) was used for screening. Reflective Functioning questionnaire-8 (RFQ 8) was used to measure the mentalizing capacity of individuals. The Wilcoxon sign rank test was used to measure significant difference between pre-test and post-test on emotional eating behaviour and mentalizing capacity (reflective functioning). Results: There were 7 participants at the beginning of which one left after 3 sessions, due to personal reasons. The Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed a significant difference in the Reflective Functioning uncertainty after Mentalization based treatment, n = 6, z = 2.226, p < 0.05 and a significant difference in the

Introduction: COVID-19 lockdown measures have large impact on lifestyle behaviors and well-being of children. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on eating styles and behaviors, physical activity (PA), screen time, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children (0–18 years) with severe obesity. Methods: During the first COVID-19 wave (April 2020), validated questionnaires were completed and semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with parents of children with severe obesity (adult body mass index [BMI]-equivalent ≥35 kg/m2) and/or with the children themselves. Changes in pre-pandemic versus lockdown scores of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire Children, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, and Dutch PA Questionnaire were assessed. Qualitative analyses were performed according to the Grounded Theory. Results: Ninety families were approached of which 83 families were included. Characteristics of the i...

Although there have been extensive studies that make group comparisons on child eating and feeding practices, few studies have examined measurement equivalence to ensure that measures used to make such group comparisons are equivalent across important group characteristics related to childhood obesity. Using a sample of 243 caregivers with children between the ages of 4 to 6 years, we conducted a measurement equivalence analysis across gender, ethnicity (Latino versus non-Latino White), and household food security. The subscales of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) and the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) were examined separately using a one factor multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. For the CFQ, Concern about Child Weight and Parental Responsibility subscales were consistent across all groups examined. In contrast, Pressure to Eat, Restriction, and Perceived Parent Weight subscales varied or fit poorly across the groups. For the CEBQ, Emotional Overeating, Enjo...

The aim of the present chapter is to present a conceptual framework for examining associations between eating, drinking and wellbeing. The approach is exemplified by considering two topics which have received considerable attention, namely the effects of consumption of breakfast and ingestion of caffeine. It is argued that other aspects of diet can be considered in a similar way once the volume of research reaches appropriate levels. The first feature of the current approach to wellbeing is that it is multi-factorial. Research on diet and health has confirmed the view that there is more to health than the absence of disease. Being able to function efficiently, both mentally and physically, is an important part of wellbeing. Similarly, the absence of negative affective states (negative mood, stress, anxiety and depression) and the presence of positive emotions (positive affect, happiness, and life satisfaction) have long been recognised as key features of wellbeing. Previous research has investigated the relationship between diet and well-being, with some topics such as the effect of a healthy diet (e.g. consumption of breakfast, fruit and vegetables and oily fish) or a bad diet (e.g. junk food) being widely studied. Other aspects of eating and drinking require further attention (e.g. eating super-foods such as broccoli; effects of BMI; emotional eating; and consumption of foods which change the gut microbiome-pre-biotics and probiotics). There are three major problems with most of the previous research. First, the different dietary topics are often studied in isolation, which clearly misrepresents the real-life situation. Secondly, wellbeing is influenced by other established predictors (psychosocial factors such as stress, social support, personality and coping styles; health-related behaviours such as exercise, and sleep) and these are rarely controlled for. Thirdly, most of the research involves cross-sectional studies. What is now needed are multi-variate, longitudinal studies of eating, drinking and wellbeing. Such research will elucidate underlying biological mechanisms and develop practical approaches of preventing and managing negative effects and maximising positive ones.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic people have endured potentially stressful challenges which have influenced behaviors such as eating. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of two brief interventions aimed to help individuals deal with food cravings and associated emotional experiences. Participants were 165 individuals residing in United Kingdom, Finland, Philippines, Spain, Italy, Brazil, North America, South Korea, and China. The study was implemented remotely, thus without any contact with researchers, and involved two groups. Group one participants were requested to use daily diaries for seven consecutive days to assess the frequency of experience of their food cravings, frequency of giving in to cravings, and difficulty resisting cravings, as well as emotional states associated with their cravings. In addition to completing daily food diaries, participants in group two were asked to engage in mindful eating practice and forming implementation intentions. Participants ...

The Genome-based Mexican (GENOMEX) diet is a strategy for preventing and managing obesity. Emotion and eating behavior in the context of a nutrigenetic intervention have not been thoroughly studied. We aimed to explore the influence of the GENOMEX diet on emotions, self-efficacy, and rewarding behaviors in unhealthy eating among subjects with risk factors for obesity-related chronic diseases. Twenty-eight subjects included in the six-month GENOMEX intervention answered questions regarding emotions that influence food consumption. Additionally, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Reward-based eating drive scale (RED) were applied. In the study, minimal, mild, moderate, and severe depression were present in 46.4%, 39.3%, 10.7%, and 3.6%, respectively. RED did not change, but it correlated with a higher intake of fats (r2 = 0.684, β = 2.066, p = 0.003). Mood influenced unhealthy eating in 71.7% of subjects, and 76.9% experienced binge episodes triggered by anxiety. Sugars ...

Background: Overweight and obesity are growing problems, with more attention recently, to the role of stress in the starting and maintaining process of these clinical problems. However, the mechanisms are not yet known and well-understood; and ecological momentary analyses like the daily variations between stress and eating are far less studied. Emotional eating is highly prevalent and is assumed to be an important mechanism, as a maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategy, in starting and maintaining the vicious cycle of (pediatric) obesity. Objectives: The present study aims to investigate in youngsters (10-17 years) the daily relationship between stress and the trajectories of self-reported eating behavior (desire to eat motives; hunger eating motives and snacking) throughout 1 week; as well as the moderating role of emotion regulation and emotional eating in an average weight population. Methods: Participants were 109 average weighted youngsters between the age of 10 and 17 years (M age = 13.49; SD = 1.64). The youngsters filled in a trait-questionnaire on emotion regulation and emotional eating at home before starting the study, and answered an online diary after school time, during seven consecutive days. Desire to eat motives, hunger eating motives and snacking were assessed daily for seven consecutive days. Results: Using multilevel analyses results revealed that daily stress is significantly associated with trajectories of desire to eat motives and hunger eating motives. No evidence was found for the moderating role of maladaptive ER in these relationships; marginally significant evidence was found for the moderating role of emotional eating in the trajectories of desire to eat and snacking. Discussion: These results stress the importance of looking into the daily relationship between stress and eating behavior parameters, as both are related with change over and within days. More research is needed to draw firm conclusion on the moderating role of ER strategies and emotional eating.

The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), recently validated in college students and binge eaters, is a means to assess "food addiction" in accordance with DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence. Using online survey methodology, we aimed to validate the use of the YFAS among weight loss surgery (WLS) patients. Participants completed measures about pre-WLS food addiction (YFAS), emotional and binge eating, behavioral avoidance and inhibition, and pre-and post-WLS substance use. A sample of 67 WLS patients (59.7% Roux-en-Y) was recruited; participants were 62.7% female, 86.6% Caucasian, had a mean age of 42.7; and 53.7% met criteria for pre-WLS food addiction. Convergent validity was found between the YFAS and measures of emotional eating (r = .368, p b .05) and binge eating (r = .469, p b .05). Discriminant validity was supported in that problematic substance use, behavioral avoidance, and behavioral inhibition were not associated with YFAS scores. Incremental validity was supported in that the YFAS explained a significant proportion of additional variance in binge eating scores, beyond that predicted by emotional eating (EES) and disordered eating behavior (EAT-26). There was a nonsignificant trend towards those with higher food addiction being more likely to admit to post-WLS problematic substance use (i.e., potential "addiction transfer"; 53% vs. 39%). Results support the use of the YFAS as a valid measure of food addiction among WLS patients. Future research with a larger sample may shed light on potentially important relationships between pre-surgical food addiction and both weight and substance use outcomes.

Table 2. Stepwise multiple regression demonstrating incremental contribution of YFAS to the prediction of Binge Eating Scale (BES) scores. * p < .05, ** p < .01. Table 1. Correlations between YFAS symptom count and diagnostic classi cation with measures of disordered eating, substance use involvement, behavioral avoidance, and behavioral inhibition.

To test the hypothesis that quantitative variation in eating behaviour traits shows a graded association with weight in children. Cross-sectional design in a community setting. Data were from 406 families participating in the Physical Exercise and Appetite in CHildren Study (PEACHES) or the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). Children were aged 7-9 years (PEACHES) and 9-12 years (TEDS). Weights and heights were measured by researchers. Body mass index (BMI) s.d. scores were used to categorize participants into underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obese groups, with an additional division of the healthy weight group into higher and lower healthy weight at the 50th centile. Eating behaviour traits were assessed with the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), completed by the parents on behalf of their child. Linear trend analyses compared CEBQ subscale scores across the five weight groups. Satiety Responsiveness/Slowness in Eating and Food Fussiness showed a graded nega...

Several precedents support an association between single nucleotide genetic polymorphisms (SNPs), the obese phenotype, and eating behavior in the infant-juvenile population. This study aims to study this aspect in depth, analyzing the eating behavior of a sample of schoolchildren from Madrid in regard to their genetic predisposition to obesity. A total of 258 schoolchildren, aged 6 to 16 years, were evaluated through the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) and the genotyping of 32 SNPs. Associations were observed between the total genetic risk score and eating behaviors related to emotional eating and food responsiveness. Individually, different SNPs were associated with eating behaviors, primarily those related to pro-eating behaviors or increased risk of developing obesity. However, diverse results are obtained, depending on the SNP. These results highlighted the strongest associations between the rs1801725 SNP risk allele (CASR) and increased enjoyment of food by 184...

Background Stress and negative emotions may impact on appetite, inducing some individuals to eat less and others to eat more. This behavior has been implicated in the onset of bodyweight problems and eating disorders in childhood. The aim of our study is to evaluate factors potentially associated with emotional eating in children. Methods The present cross-sectional study derives from a survey conducted in 2021 on 8–9 years old children attending 11 primary schools. A questionnaire was administered that contained multiple-choice items relating to the children and their mothers, and touching on all the factors thought to be associated with emotional eating as behavioral traits or adherence to Mediterranean diet. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to test the association. Results Emotional undereating was positively associated with emotional symptoms (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.11–2.67); emotional overeating was positively associated with both emotional symptoms (OR 2.01; 95% CI...

Eating Disorders (EDs) show a multifactorial etiopathogenesis including environmental, psychological and biological factors. In the present study, we propose a model of interactions between genetic vulnerability-represented by Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated (FTO) gene-and stable psychopathological traits, such as bodily disorders and emotion dysregulation for EDs patients. The distribution of a polymorphism of the FTO (rs9939609 T&gt;A) was evaluated in a series of 250 EDs patients and in a group of 119 healthy control subjects. Clinical data were collected through a face-to-face interview and several self-reported questionnaires were applied, including the Emotional Eating Scale and the IDentity and EAting disorders (IDEA) questionnaire for bodily disorders and self-identity. The A-allele was associated with an increased vulnerability to EDs (AA+AT genotypes frequency 72.8% in EDs vs. 52.9% in controls). The presence of the A-allele was associated with binge eating behavior, highe...

, 87 pages The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of emotion focused coping on the relationship between perceived stress and emotional eating. The sample of the study was consisted of 711 university students (461 female, 250 male). Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Coping Styles Inventory (CSI), Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21), and demographic information form were used in order to collect data in both paper-pencil and online forms. In order to answer research question, simple mediational by bootstrapping sampling method was conducted via SPSS Process macro. Results of the study suggested that there was a positive relationship between perceived stress and emotional eating. Besides, emotion focused coping mediated the association between perceived stress and emotional eating among female participants hence not among male participants. The findings of the current study were discussed in the light of the related literature.

Purpose Stress is thought to stimulate unhealthy dietary choices towards fat and sweet foods. Nevertheless, individual vulnerabilities might exist depending on psychological factors. We wanted to check dietary change during examination stress via a longitudinal study, while identifying risk groups via moderation by eating behavior (emotional/external/restrained), food choice motive, taste preference, reward/punishment sensitivity, impulsivity, coping strategies, sedentary behavior, social support, living in a student home and being a first-year student. Methods Before and after the examination period January 2017, 232 Flemish students completed online questionnaires on diet (food frequency questionnaire with diet quality index), the above mentioned psychological factors, perceived exam stress and some demographics. Results During the examination period, diet quality decreased: lower general diet quality index, lower fruit and vegetables intake, higher fast food intake and more difficulties to eat healthy. Based on significant time moderation, emotional eaters, external eaters, sweet/fat lovers, those with health as food choice motive, sensitive to reward or punishment, highly sedentary, non-first-year students and those with high stress reports were at higher risk for exam-induced diet deteriorations (partial η 2 : 017-0.071; highest effects for health as food choice motive and external eating). Most tested variables were also related to baseline dietary intake which was of rather low quality. The overall stress-diet hypothesis was confirmed as students were vulnerable to diet deterioration during examination periods and high-risk groups were identified. Prevention strategies should integrate psychological and lifestyle aspects: stress management, nutritional education with techniques for self-effectiveness, awareness of eating-without-hunger and a health stimulating environment.

Purpose Stress is thought to stimulate unhealthy dietary choices towards fat and sweet foods. Nevertheless, individual vulnerabilities might exist depending on psychological factors. We wanted to check dietary change during examination stress via a longitudinal study, while identifying risk groups via moderation by eating behavior (emotional/external/restrained), food choice motive, taste preference, reward/punishment sensitivity, impulsivity, coping strategies, sedentary behavior, social support, living in a student home and being a first-year student. Methods Before and after the examination period January 2017, 232 Flemish students completed online questionnaires on diet (food frequency questionnaire with diet quality index), the above mentioned psychological factors, perceived exam stress and some demographics. Results During the examination period, diet quality decreased: lower general diet quality index, lower fruit and vegetables intake, higher fast food intake and more difficulties to eat healthy. Based on significant time moderation, emotional eaters, external eaters, sweet/fat lovers, those with health as food choice motive, sensitive to reward or punishment, highly sedentary, non-first-year students and those with high stress reports were at higher risk for exam-induced diet deteriorations (partial η 2 : 017-0.071; highest effects for health as food choice motive and external eating). Most tested variables were also related to baseline dietary intake which was of rather low quality. The overall stress-diet hypothesis was confirmed as students were vulnerable to diet deterioration during examination periods and high-risk groups were identified. Prevention strategies should integrate psychological and lifestyle aspects: stress management, nutritional education with techniques for self-effectiveness, awareness of eating-without-hunger and a health stimulating environment.

Problem of over weight is a serious issue in developing and developed countries where awareness of health among people is high. It seems to be the heritage of modernization of society with all its features of unhealthy food and faulty dietary habits, increased stress, and less physical activity. Weight increase is measured by Body Mass Index (BMI). The major purpose of the research was to examine the factors which are source of obesity. Environmental issues that cause obesity are on-job eating habits, taking junk foods in shopping or in travelling, household issues etc; while eating habits that cause obesity are frequent craving, binge eating, emotional eating, lack of awareness of hunger etc. This study investigated the association between obesity and psychological distress; and also checked the prevalence of psychological distress in obese people. A field survey was conducted from air force officers on air base. As the target sample was those air force officers who feel psychological distress, so a cluster of sample was selected and purposive sampling technique was applied. Based on a sample of 187 respondents, data was analyzed by using simple percentages, linear regression, correlation and t-test. This study

Background: Gaining knowledge of the various reasons behind people's consumption of highly processed foods has the potential to enhance obesity prevention initiatives and open avenues to tailor treatment approaches for obesity and binge eating at a more personalized level. This contribution aimed to test the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Palatable Eating Motives Scale (PEMS-IT) in a community sample of Italian adults. Methods: A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factor structure of the Italian version of the PEMS (PEMS-IT) on a total of 616 respondents. Furthermore, the reliability and convergent validity analysis of the tool were evaluated. Results: The analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of PEMS-IT [(YBχ 2 (164) = 537.901; p < 0.001, the CFI = 0.918, RMSEA = 0.072; 90%CI [0.065-0.078]; p(RMSEA < 0.05) < 0.001, and SRMR = 0.080] and satisfactory reliability on its subscales (Cronbach's α: 0.745-0.917). Positive correlations were also found with food addiction and binge-eating symptoms, compulsive eating behavior, and uncontrolled and emotional eating. Conclusions: The PEMS-IT appears to be an instrument with promising psychometric properties and potential applications in clinical settings. However, it also has some limitations, and future studies could focus on improving the semantic content of the elements to increase the overall utility and precision of the instrument.

Objective:This study investigated whether the duration and type of screen time (ST) (TV viewing, recreational computer use, video gaming) is longitudinally associated with z-BMI and if these relationships are mediated by disordered eating (emotional, restrained).Design:At baseline, participants were n 1197 (T1; 60 % female) adolescents (mean age = 13·51 years) who completed surveys over 2 years. ST was assessed by a self-reported measure created by the investigative team, while emotional and restrained eating was measured by the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEB-Q). Height and weight were objectively measured to quantify z-BMI.Setting:Thirty-one public and two private schools from the region of Ottawa, Canada.Participants:Students in grades 7–12.Results:Parallel multiple mediation analyses revealed that more time spent watching TV at baseline is associated with higher z-BMI at T3 (total effect; B = 0·19, se = 0·07, P = 0·01, 95 % CI 0·05, 0·34), but no relationships were observed for total ST exposure or other types of ST and z-BMI. Disordered eating did not mediate the positive association between baseline TV viewing and z-BMI at T3.Conclusions:TV viewing was longitudinally associated with higher z-BMI in a community-based sample of adolescents, but disordered eating behaviours did not mediate this relationship. However, other non-pathological eating behaviours may mediate the association between ST and obesity and warrant further investigation. Finding suggests that targeting reduction in youth’s TV viewing may be an effective component in the prevention of childhood obesity.

Background Association of physiological recovery with nutrition has scarcely been studied. We investigated whether physiological recovery during sleep relates to eating habits, i.e., eating behaviour and diet quality. Methods Cross-sectional baseline analysis of psychologically distressed adults with overweight (N = 252) participating in a lifestyle intervention study in three Finnish cities. Recovery measures were based on sleep-time heart rate variability (HRV) measured for 3 consecutive nights. Measures derived from HRV were 1) RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences) indicating the parasympathetic activation of the autonomic nervous system and 2) Stress Balance (SB) indicating the temporal ratio of recovery to stress. Eating behaviour was measured with questionnaires (Intuitive Eating Scale, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Health and Taste Attitude Scales, ecSatter Inventory™). Diet quality was quantified using questionnaires (Index of Diet Quality, Alcohol Use ...

Background There is a significant health crisis with rates of obesity continuing to increase despite research and clinical standard behavioral weight loss programs (SBWP). Mindfulness meditation (MM), with demonstrated benefits on physical, psychological health, and self-regulation behaviors was explored with SBWP. Methods Forty-six adults (BMI=32.5±3.7 kg/m2; age=45.2±8.2 years, 87 % female, 21.7 % African American) were randomly assigned to a 6-month SBWP only (n=24) or SBWP+MM (n=22) at a university-based physical activity and weight management research center in a northeastern US city. Participants were instructed to decrease intake (1200-1500 kcal/day), increase physical activity (300 min/wk), and attend weekly SBWP or SBWP+MM sessions. SBWP+MM had the same SBWP lessons with addition of focused MM training. Outcome measures collected at 0, 3, and 6 months included: weight, Block Food Frequency Questionnaire, Eating Behavior Inventory, Eating Inventory and Paffenbarger Physical ...

Obesity is recognized as one of the major nutrition related disorders around the world. Eating behaviours affect caloric intake and are implicated in the development of obesity. Three types of eating behaviours (cognitive restraint (CR), emotional eating (EE) and uncontrolled eating (UE)) have been studied for associations with obesity in various populations. The aim of the present work was to investigate the interactions between eating behavior and age and to determine the influence of gender on this relationship. This study was conducted on 351 volunteers from Benghazi University students and staff, eating behaviours were measured using the revised three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ-R18). Anthropometric measurements for all participants included in this study were measured and BMI was calculated. The finding of this study showed that the age was (26.12 ± 7.749), BMI (23.99 ± 5.003), Cognitive Restraint (15.83 ± 3.662), Emotional Eating (6.74 ± 2.028), and Uncontrolled Eating ...