Comfort eating: An observational study of affect in the hours immediately before, and after, snacking.
Saved in:
| Title: | Comfort eating: An observational study of affect in the hours immediately before, and after, snacking. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Franja, Stefania (AUTHOR), Wahl, Deborah R. (AUTHOR), Elliston, Katherine G. (AUTHOR), Ferguson, Stuart G. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | British Journal of Health Psychology. Sep2021, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p825-838. 14p. 2 Graphs. |
| Subjects: | Snack foods, Ecological momentary assessments (Clinical psychology), Scientific observation |
| Abstract: | Objective: 'Comfort eating' has been used to explain real‐world food choices, suggesting that individuals are drawn to energy‐dense ('unhealthy') snacks when experiencing negative affect. However, this concept has rarely been studied, particularly in real‐world settings. Similarly, the effects of snacking on subsequent affect are also poorly understood. The present study aimed to examine the association between affect and snacking in daily life. Methods: One hundred and forty‐one adults recorded their food intake in real time for ~14 days using a study issued mobile phone. Participants also responded to randomly timed assessments. During both types of assessments, participants indicated their current level of affect. By anchoring off snacking events, the trajectory of affect in the hours leading up to – and following – snacking was explored. Results: In the three hours leading up to a healthy snack, affect was stable. In contrast, affect fell during the hours leading up to an unhealthy snack. The interaction between snack type and time was significant. A similar, but opposite, pattern was seen following snacking: where affect decreased after unhealthy snacking, affect increased following healthy snack intake. Conclusion: The findings are consistent with the hypothesis of comfort eating, with unhealthy snacking being preceded by worsening affect. Unhealthy snacking did not, however, lead to affect improvements afterwards, which questions the 'effectiveness' of comfort eating. The intake of healthy snacks however was associated with positive affective experiences. These findings could function as a component of interventions aiming at improving dietary behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of British Journal of Health Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 1 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 151739796 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Comfort eating: An observational study of affect in the hours immediately before, and after, snacking. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Franja%2C+Stefania%22">Franja, Stefania</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wahl%2C+Deborah+R%2E%22">Wahl, Deborah R.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Elliston%2C+Katherine+G%2E%22">Elliston, Katherine G.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ferguson%2C+Stuart+G%2E%22">Ferguson, Stuart G.</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22British+Journal+of+Health+Psychology%22">British Journal of Health Psychology</searchLink>. Sep2021, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p825-838. 14p. 2 Graphs. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Snack+foods%22">Snack foods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecological+momentary+assessments+%28Clinical+psychology%29%22">Ecological momentary assessments (Clinical psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scientific+observation%22">Scientific observation</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Objective: 'Comfort eating' has been used to explain real‐world food choices, suggesting that individuals are drawn to energy‐dense ('unhealthy') snacks when experiencing negative affect. However, this concept has rarely been studied, particularly in real‐world settings. Similarly, the effects of snacking on subsequent affect are also poorly understood. The present study aimed to examine the association between affect and snacking in daily life. Methods: One hundred and forty‐one adults recorded their food intake in real time for ~14 days using a study issued mobile phone. Participants also responded to randomly timed assessments. During both types of assessments, participants indicated their current level of affect. By anchoring off snacking events, the trajectory of affect in the hours leading up to – and following – snacking was explored. Results: In the three hours leading up to a healthy snack, affect was stable. In contrast, affect fell during the hours leading up to an unhealthy snack. The interaction between snack type and time was significant. A similar, but opposite, pattern was seen following snacking: where affect decreased after unhealthy snacking, affect increased following healthy snack intake. Conclusion: The findings are consistent with the hypothesis of comfort eating, with unhealthy snacking being preceded by worsening affect. Unhealthy snacking did not, however, lead to affect improvements afterwards, which questions the 'effectiveness' of comfort eating. The intake of healthy snacks however was associated with positive affective experiences. These findings could function as a component of interventions aiming at improving dietary behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of British Journal of Health Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=151739796 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/bjhp.12505 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 825 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Snack foods Type: general – SubjectFull: Ecological momentary assessments (Clinical psychology) Type: general – SubjectFull: Scientific observation Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Comfort eating: An observational study of affect in the hours immediately before, and after, snacking. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Franja, Stefania – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wahl, Deborah R. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Elliston, Katherine G. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Ferguson, Stuart G. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 09 Text: Sep2021 Type: published Y: 2021 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1359107X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 26 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: British Journal of Health Psychology Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
