Search

Introduction In some individuals, interest in healthy attitudes and behaviours towards food may show obsessive signs. Preoccupation with ‘healthful’ eating may contribute to orthorexia nervosa (ON) – a strong preoccupation with “healthy eating” manifested by the avoidance of all foods considered by the individual to be “unhealthy”. Objectives The objective of the present study was to determine whether disordered eating behaviour, physical activity and self-esteem are predictors of ON in young adults. Methods Five hundred fifty-four Polish and Italian university students participated in the present study. Participants were asked to answer the Eating Habits Questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Test, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results Our findings found that higher levels of concern about dieting and moderate-intensity physical activity were related to ON. Particularly, higher levels of concern about dieting, bulimic behaviour and thoughts about food and moderate-intensity physical activity predicted problems associated with healthy eating. Higher levels of concern about dieting, self-esteem as well as self-control of eating and perceived pressure from others to gain weight were associated with knowledge of healthy eating. Whereas, higher levels of concern about dieting with country factor (Poland) predicted feeling positively about healthy eating. Conclusions In ON treatment, reduction in symptoms and concerns characteristic of eating disorders and adequate levels of physical activity should be taken into consideration. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Introduction Physical activity (PA) level has been found to be an important correlate of eating disorders (EDs). The literature is inconclusive to whether PA is related to symptoms of EDs in non-clinical sample. Objectives The first study aim was to assess the level of PA in non-clinical group of young adults with symptoms of EDs. The second aim was to evaluate the association between PA level and severity of EDs symptoms. Methods The sample consisted of 327 young adults (Mage = 21.72±2.00;MBMI = 23.20±7.43). All participants completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire(IPAQ). Finally, 32 individuals (9.79%) of the total sample scored above clinical cut-off on the EAT-26 (≥ 20) indicating a high level of symptoms and concerns characteristic of EDs. Results The non-clinical group differed significantly in PA level (low-intensity, moderate-intensity, vigorous-intensity levels of PA; H(2,32)=26.19,p

Introduction Research has shown that emotional suppression, a form of emotion regulation, is often used by individuals with disordered eating behaviour. Moreover, eating disorder symptomatology is associated with inappropriate eating behaviours (e.g. excessive consumption of high-calorie foods and comfort foods). Objectives The objective of the present study was to investigate the differences in eating behaviour among adults with different levels of emotional suppression and eating disorder symptomatology. Methods Two hundred seventy adults (M age = 29.44 ± 9.32) completed the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (eating behaviour), the Eating Attitudes Test (eating disorder symptomatology) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (emotional suppression). Results Three clusters were identified through cluster analysis: cluster 1 (N = 115) presenting low emotional suppression and low eating disorder symptomatology; cluster 2 (N = 43) presenting high emotional suppression and high eating disorder symptomatology and cluster 3 (N = 112) presenting high emotional suppression and low eating disorder symptomatology. Our results showed that individuals in cluster 2 had significantly greater levels of cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating than individuals in clusters 1 and 3. Moreover, individuals in clusters 1 and 3 did not differ significantly in terms of any of the TFEQ subscales. Conclusions These preliminary findings may suggest that the tendency to persistently suppress emotions exacerbate disordered eating behaviour. Therefore, this factor together with symptoms of eating disorders should to be considered when planning prevention and intervention programs among adults presenting disordered eating behaviour. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Introduction Restraint theory (Herman and Polivy, 1975) suggests that human eating behaviour is under cognitive control and this leads to reduced sensitivity to internal cues for satiety, resulting in overeating in situations where cognitive control is under-mined (Johnson et al., 2012). In other words, restraint theory suggests that restraint (dieting) actually leads to leads to an excessive intake of food. Objectives The present study sought to investigate the relationship between dieting, eating behaviours (uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, cognitive restraint) and rumination (repetitive negative thinking). The second objective was to determine whether rumination mediates the relationship between dieting and both uncontrolled eating and emotional eating. Methods The sample was composed of 188 women (Mage = 29.46 ± 8.94; MBMI = 23.16 ± 4.04). The Eating Attitudes Test, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire and the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire were used in the present study. Results Dieting for weight control (intentional weight loss) was associated with higher levels of uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, cognitive restraint and repetitive negative thinking. Mediation analyses showed that the relationship between dieting and inappropriate eating behaviours was mediated by rumination. The direct effect of dieting on both uncontrolled eating and emotional eating was significant, suggesting partial mediation. Conclusions Our findings support the relevance of rumination in linking dieting and eating behaviours among women. The current study may have clinical applications such as the potential integration of rumination for the prevention and changes in inappropriate eating behaviours. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Introduction Food addiction (FA) has been found to correlate with personality traits and psychosocial factors (Zhao et al., 2018). However, the vast majority of studies on this subject use the variable-oriented approach, which assumes that relationships between specific variables are identical in a given population (Collins & Lanza, 2010). Objectives The main aim of this study was to assess the heterogeneity of young adults with respect to food addiction, personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness and emotional stability) and loneliness. The secondary aim was to examine the relationships between profile membership and well-being. Methods The sample consisted of 1,157 young adults (58.1% women). The Yale Food Addiction Scale, the Ten-Item Personality Inventory and the Short Loneliness Scale were used in the present study. Various aspects of well-being were included (e.g. quality of life). Latent Profile Analysis was performed twice: in the full sample, and in the subsample of individuals with increased FA (defined as z-score ≥ 1; n = 213). Results Four profiles were identified both in the full sample and in the subsample. The best functioning was observed in individuals who scored high on extraversion and low on loneliness, despite their relatively high levels of FA. Young adults who scored high on FA and loneliness, and low on extraversion, conscientiousness and emotional stability, were more likely to have the worst functioning. Conclusions Our findings suggest that using the person-oriented approach may expand our knowledge on the role of personality traits and psychosocial factors in determining the effects of FA on well-being. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Introduction Research has shown that negative affect leads to unhealthy eating, the top cause of death in the United States. Objectives This project examined whether AR (Affect Regulation) can be applied to incidental negative affect to improve eating behavior. Methods We conducted four studies. Results In Studies 1 and 2 (n=80), we developed a autobiographical negative affect induction, showed that it induces negative affect, and demonstrated that participants can learn to downregulate this negative affect. In Study 3 (n=40), participants completed a three-phase dietary food choice task. In phase 1, participants made food choices under neutral conditions. In phase 2, participants made food choices after receiving the negative affect induction from Studies 1 and 2. In phase 3, participants made food choices while downregulating the negative affect caused by the induction. In phase 2, participants placed less importance on health (b=-0.15, z=-5.99, p

Introduction: Research has shown that negative affect leads to unhealthy eating, the top cause of death in the United States. Objectives: This project examined whether AR (Affect Regulation) can be applied to incidental negative affect to improve eating behavior. Methods: We conducted four studies. Results: In Studies 1 and 2 (n=80), we developed a autobiographical negative affect induction, showed that it induces negative affect, and demonstrated that participants can learn to downregulate this negative affect. In Study 3 (n=40), participants completed a threephase dietary food choice task. In phase 1, participants made food choices under neutral conditions. In phase 2, participants made food choices after receiving the negative affect induction from Studies 1 and 2. In phase 3, participants made food choices while downregulating the negative affect caused by the induction. In phase 2, participants placed less importance on health (b=-0.15, z=-5.99, p<.001) when making food choices than under neutral conditions (phase 1). In phase 3, participants successfully downregulated their negative affect (b=-1.2, t=-22.01, p<.001) and placed the same level of importance on health when making food choices as in phase 1, indicating that AR applied to incidental affect is an effective method for improving eating behavior. In Study 4 (n=120), we pre-registered and replicated our findings from Study 3. In addition, we fit drift-diffusion models to participants reaction time data and show that these results extent to the by-participant weights participants place on health when making food choices. Conclusions: These results are a step towards scalable AR interventions to improve eating behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]