Dataset Information

Emotional Eating and Changes in High-Sugar Food and Drink Consumption Linked to Psychological Distress and Worries: A Cohort Study from Norway.

ABSTRACT: Psychological distress is linked to unhealthy eating behaviors such as emotional eating and consumption of high-sugar food and drinks. Cross-sectional studies from early in the COVID-19 pandemic showed a high occurrence of worries and psychological distress, and this was associated with emotional eating. Few larger studies have examined how this coping pattern develops over time. This cohort study with 24,968 participants assessed changes over time in emotional eating, consumption of sugary foods as an example of unhealthy food choices, and consumption of fruits and vegetables as an example of healthy food choices. Further, associations between these and psychological distress, worries, and socio-demographic factors were assessed. Data were collected at three time points (April 2020, initially in the COVID-19 pandemic, then one and two years later). Emotional eating and intake of sugary foods and drinks were high at the start of the pandemic, followed by a reduction over time. High psychological distress was strongly associated with higher levels of emotional eating and high-sugar food intake, and lower levels of healthy eating habits. The strength of this association reduced over time. Our findings indicate the high frequency in unhealthy food choices seen early in the COVID-19 pandemic improved over time.

SUBMITTER: Javadi Arjmand E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9920951 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Emotional Eating and Changes in High-Sugar Food and Drink Consumption Linked to Psychological Distress and Worries: A Cohort Study from Norway.

Javadi Arjmand Elaheh E Bemanian Mitra M Vold Jørn Henrik JH Skogen Jens Christoffer JC Sandal Gro Mjeldheim GM Arnesen Erik K EK Mæland Silje S Fadnes Lars Thore LT

Nutrients 20230202 3

Psychological distress is linked to unhealthy eating behaviors such as emotional eating and consumption of high-sugar food and drinks. Cross-sectional studies from early in the COVID-19 pandemic showed a high occurrence of worries and psychological distress, and this was associated with emotional eating. Few larger studies have examined how this coping pattern develops over time. This cohort study with 24,968 participants assessed changes over time in emotional eating, consumption of sugary food ...[more]

PMID: 36771484

Similar Datasets

Project description:The overvaluation of high-energy, palatable food cues contributes to unhealthy eating and being overweight. Reducing the valuation of unhealthy food may thus constitute a powerful lever to improve eating habits and conditions characterized by unhealthy eating. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized intervention trial assessing the efficacy of a five to twenty days online cognitive training intervention to reduce sugary drink perceived palatability and consumption. Our intervention involved a recently identified action-to-valuation mechanism of action, in which the repeated inhibition of prepotent motor responses to hedonic food cues in a Go/NoGo (GNG) and an attentional bias modification (ABM) task eventually reduces their valuation and intake. Confirming our hypotheses, the experimental intervention with consistent (100%) mapping between motor inhibition and the targeted unhealthy sugary drinks cues induced a larger decrease in their valuation than the control intervention with inconsistent (50%) mapping (- 27.6% vs. - 19%), and a larger increase of the (water) items associated with response execution (+ 11% vs + 4.2%). Exploratory analyses suggest that the effect of training on unhealthy items valuation may persist for at least one month. Against our hypothesis, we observed equivalent reductions in self-reported consumption of sugary drinks following the two interventions (exp: - 27% vs. ctrl: - 19%, BF01 = 4.7), suggesting a dose-independent effect of motor inhibition on self-reported consumption. Our collective results corroborate the robustness and large size of the devaluation effects induced by response inhibition on palatable items, but challenge the assumption of a linear relationship between such effects and the actual consumption of the target items. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 30/03/2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5ESMP .

Project description: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 consumption, emotional conditions, and emotional eating behavior. Associations were found between the emotional eating behavior and stress (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.60, p = 0.010), depressive mood (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.40-1.43, p < 0.001), loneliness (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.58-1.62, p < 0.001), boredom (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.36-1.39, p < 0.001), and emotional consolation (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.54-1.57, p < 0.001). Emotional eating was associated with an effort to improve physical and psychological conditions, such as controlling body weight (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.10-1.12, p < 0.001), keeping awake and alert (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.19-1.20, p < 0.001) and consumption to feel good (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.21-1.22, p < 0.001). In conclusion, emotions might provoke emotional eating behavior. The appropriate way to handle stress, depression, or other emotional states is important in conditions of being emotionally overwhelmed. The public should be educated on how to handle different emotional states. The focus should be moved somehow from emotional eating and the consumption of unhealthy food to healthy lifestyle practices, including regular exercise and healthy eating habits. Thus, it is necessary to halt these negative health effects on human health through public health programs.

Project description:BackgroundHealth care workers (HCWs) presented frequent concerns regarding their health and their families' health and high levels of psychological distress during previous disease outbreaks, such as the SARS outbreak, which was associated with social isolation and intentional absenteeism. We aimed to assess HCWs concerns and anxiety, perceived sufficiency of information, and intended behavior during the recent A/H1N1 influenza pandemic and their associations with psychological distress.MethodBetween September 1st and 30th, 2009, 469 health-care workers (HCWs) of a tertiary teaching hospital completed a 20-item questionnaire regarding concerns and worries about the new A/H1N1 influenza pandemic, along with Cassileth's Information Styles Questionnaire (part-I) and the GHQ-28.ResultsMore than half of the present study's HCWs (56.7%) reported they were worried about the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic, their degree of anxiety being moderately high (median 6/9). The most frequent concern was infection of family and friends and the health consequences of the disease (54.9%). The perceived risk of being infected was considered moderately high (median 6/9). Few HCWs (6.6%) had restricted their social contacts and fewer (3.8%) felt isolated by their family members and friends because of their hospital work, while a low percentage (4.3%) indented to take a leave to avoid infection. However, worry and degree of worry were significantly associated with intended absenteeism (p < 0.0005), restriction of social contacts (p < 0.0005), and psychological distress (p = 0.036). Perceived sufficiency of information about several aspects of the A/H1N1 influenza was moderately high, and the overall information about the A/H1N1 influenza was considered clear (median 7.4/9). Also, perceived sufficiency of information for the prognosis of the infection was significantly independently associated with the degree of worry about the pandemic (p = 0.008).ConclusionsA significant proportion of HCWs experienced moderately high anxiety about the pandemic, and their degree of worry was an independent correlate of psychological distress. Since perceived sufficiency of information about the A/H1N1 influenza prognosis was associated with reduced degree of worry, hospital managers and consultation-liaison psychiatry services should try to provide for HCWs' need for information, in order to offer favourable working conditions in times of extreme distress, such as the current and future pandemics.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Young adulthood represents an influential transitional period marked by poor dietary habits and excess weight gain. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are a major source of excess caloric intake among young adults, yet little is known about the correlates of SSB consumption. This study examines the individual and situational correlates of SSB consumption, using real-time assessment of Australian young adults' eating occasions. METHODS:Dietary, sociodemographic and health behaviour data were collected during the Measuring EAting in Everyday Life (MEALS) study (n = 675 adults, 18-30 y). Participants reported all foods and beverages consumed over 3-4 non-consecutive days using a real-time Smartphone food diary application ("FoodNow"). For every eating occasion, food and beverage intake was recorded along with situational characteristics (eating location, purchase location, presence of others and activities while eating). A beverage occasion was defined as any eating occasion where a beverage was consumed and a SSB occasion was defined as any eating occasion where a SSB was consumed. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine individual and situational characteristics with SSB intake at beverage occasions (i.e. factors associated with choosing a SSB over other non-alcoholic beverages) and to examine factors associated with consuming a SSB at any occasion where food and/or beverages were consumed. RESULTS:Thirty-five percent of participants consumed SSBs during the recording period (n = 237). Of the 2185 beverage eating occasions reported by SSB consumers, 481 (20%) contained a SSB. SSB were rarely consumed on their own (i.e. other foods were present). Having a lower than tertiary education (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.53 [1.16, 2.01]; p < 0.01); eating in a café/restaurant, compared to at home (3.02 [1.58, 5.78]; p < 0.001), and purchasing beverages from a convenience outlet, compared to a supermarket/grocery store (4.58 [2.85, 7.38]; p < 0.001) were associated with SSB intake at beverage eating occasions. Similar associations were also found when all food and/or beverage eating occasions were examined. CONCLUSION:In this study, SSB were often consumed with other foods and intake was associated with individual and situational factors. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore how SSB are consumed in relation to their accompanying foods.

Dataset Information

Emotional Eating and Changes in High-Sugar Food and Drink Consumption Linked to Psychological Distress and Worries: A Cohort Study from Norway.

Publications

Emotional Eating and Changes in High-Sugar Food and Drink Consumption Linked to Psychological Distress and Worries: A Cohort Study from Norway.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets