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Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours
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Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 24018

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anna Brytek-Matera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Psychology, Head of Nutritional Psychology Unit, Head of EAT Lab (Eating Behavior Laboratory), University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: nutritional psychology; eating disorders; orthorexia nervosa; eating behaviours; obesity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristina Segura Garcia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Università degli Studi Magna Graecia di Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Interests: eating disorders; pathological eating behaviors; obesity; mental health; psychopharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Even if hunger and satiety are the key regulators of eating behaviours, food intake is not determined solely by physiological or nutritional needs. For many people, consuming food loses its fundamental biological property and acquires a psychological connotation. Some people (i.e., patients with anorexia nervosa) consider that eating a small amount of food or refusing to eat is a normal behaviour. Other people use eating as a strategy for emotion regulation or as a coping strategy in response to emotional distress (emotional eating). There are also those who present excessive eating in terms of repetitive behaviour despite negative consequences (bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, obesity, food addiction). For others, the obsessions about healthy eating and rigidly avoiding foods perceived as unhealthy or harmful are dominant values (i.e., orthorexia nervosa).

In the era of excessive food consumption or the intentional restriction of food intake, it seems crucial to understand the mechanisms modulating (e.g., stress) and regulating (e.g., emotion regulation) eating behaviours, as well as influencing weight-related behaviours (e.g., physical activity). Empirical evidence is needed to elucidate how psychological factors affect human eating behaviour. It will help us to further understand the psychological aspects of healthy and unhealthy eating. The development of effective behaviour change interventions is key to promoting healthy eating.

In this Special Issue, we would like to highlight the latest research on eating behaviours. We invite the submission of original research, systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses. In addition to clinical or experimental studies, the treatment of disordered eating behaviours are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Anna Brytek-Matera
Prof. Dr. Cristina Segura-Garcia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Eating behaviours
  • Eating disorders
  • Eating patterns
  • Food addiction
  • Nutritional psychology/nutritional psychiatry
  • Orthorexia nervosa
  • Overweight/Obesity
  • Risk factors
  • Psychological factors

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 383 KiB  
Article
The Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test, Drive for Muscularity Scale, and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory among Chinese Men: Confirmatory Factor Analyses
by Jinbo He, Stuart Murray, Emilio J. Compte, Jianwen Song and Jason M. Nagata
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11690; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111690 - 7 Nov 2021
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4464
Abstract
Research on eating disorders (EDs) and body image disturbances has focused mostly on females from Western countries, and little is known about EDs in male populations in China, which is partially due to the lack of validated assessment measures. The current work aims [...] Read more.
Research on eating disorders (EDs) and body image disturbances has focused mostly on females from Western countries, and little is known about EDs in male populations in China, which is partially due to the lack of validated assessment measures. The current work aims to translate the Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test (MOET), Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) into Chinese and examine their psychometric properties. The factor structures, reliability and validity of the translated scales were examined with two samples: male university students (n = 295, Mage = 18.92 years) and general adult men (n = 406, Mage = 28.53 years). With confirmatory factor analyses, the original factor structures are replicated for the MOET, DMS and MDDI. The results also support the adequate internal consistency for both samples. Strong evidence of convergent and incremental validity for the three measures is also found in both samples. Overall, the three measures prove to be good instruments for use among Chinese male university students and general adult men. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours)
12 pages, 1404 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in the Assessment of Body Composition in Women with Anorexia Nervosa upon Admission and Discharge from an Inpatient Specialist Unit
by Afrouz Abbaspour, Kylie K. Reed, Christopher Hübel, Emily C. Bulik-Sullivan, Quyen Tang, Cynthia M. Bulik and Ian M. Carroll
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11388; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111388 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2606
Abstract
Assessment of body composition is fundamental in diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN). The gold standard dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is expensive and not universally available. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a non-invasive, inexpensive method relative to DXA. We compared DXA and [...] Read more.
Assessment of body composition is fundamental in diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN). The gold standard dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is expensive and not universally available. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a non-invasive, inexpensive method relative to DXA. We compared DXA and BIA in the assessment of fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), and body fat percentage (BF%) in women with AN upon admission (ANT1) and discharge (ANT2) from an inpatient specialist unit with a referent healthy control (HC) group. The study population consisted of 31 ANT1, 25 ANT2, and 52 HC women with median age of 21 years. Body composition was measured by DXA and Tanita foot-to-foot BIA. Comparison between the two methods was done using Bland–Altman analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, and linear regression. The mean difference (bias) in FM and BF% values obtained by DXA and BIA in ANT1 (FM: +1.01 kg, BF%: +2.26%) and ANT2 (FM: +1.49 kg, BF%: +1.66%) were comparable to HC (FM: −1.32 kg, BF%: −2.29%) although in opposite directions. Less bias was observed in FFM values in ANT1 (−0.46 kg) and ANT2 (−0.86 kg) than in HC (+2.03 kg); however, the limits of agreement between the two methods were wider in ANT1 and ANT2 than in HC for all measurements. No association was observed between age, percentage of total body water, and the time spent on the inpatient specialist unit with the difference in estimates of body composition between DXA and BIA. Comparison of DXA and BIA suggests that DXA should remain the gold standard for measuring body composition; the development of more specific BIA equations is required to improve validity and precision of BIA in patients with AN. Despite ease and cost in both BIA access and operation, the suitability of BIA in a low bodyweight eating disorders population remains questionable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours)
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12 pages, 1548 KiB  
Article
How Does Food Addiction Relate to Obesity? Patterns of Psychological Distress, Eating Behaviors and Physical Activity in a Sample of Lebanese Adults: The MATEO Study
by Anna Brytek-Matera, Sahar Obeid, Marwan Akel and Souheil Hallit
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(20), 10979; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010979 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3859
Abstract
Food addiction is currently not an official diagnosis (as a standalone disorder substance-related and addictive disorder) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). To best of our knowledge, there is no previous research on differences between addictive-like eating [...] Read more.
Food addiction is currently not an official diagnosis (as a standalone disorder substance-related and addictive disorder) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). To best of our knowledge, there is no previous research on differences between addictive-like eating behavior regarding its associations with psychological distress, eating behaviors and physical activity among individuals with obesity. The objective of the present study was to distinguish psychological and behavioral patterns of individuals with obesity concerning food addiction using a cluster analysis. We determined the profiles of the participants in terms of psychological distress, eating behaviors and physical activity and evaluated their association with food addiction. A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and November 2020, during the lockdown period imposed by the government for the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 507 individuals with obesity aged between 18 and 65 years participated in the present study by filling in the online questionnaire, including the validated Arabic version of the modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale, the Arabic version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, and the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. A cluster analysis was performed using the K-mean method to identify and group participants according to their patterns/profiles. A stepwise linear regression was conducted, taking the food addiction score as the dependent variable. Higher levels of uncontrolled eating, emotional eating and stress were significantly associated with higher food addiction score. Belonging to cluster 2 (psychological well-being and cognitive restraint) (B = 14.49) or cluster 3 (moderate psychological distress and cognitive restraint) (B = 6.67) compared to cluster 1 (psychological well-being, appropriate physical activity levels and eating behaviors) was significantly associated with higher food addiction score. The present research revealed that food addiction is significantly associated with higher psychological distress and maladaptive eating behaviors. Higher levels of uncontrolled eating, emotional eating and stress as well as belonging to clusters 2 and 3 were found to be predictors of food addiction in individuals with obesity in the present study. This knowledge could be useful in regard to psychological treatment of obesity and addictive-like eating behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours)
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20 pages, 382 KiB  
Article
Drunkorexia and Emotion Regulation and Emotion Regulation Difficulties: The Mediating Effect of Disordered Eating Attitudes
by Vanessa Azzi, Souheil Hallit, Diana Malaeb, Sahar Obeid and Anna Brytek-Matera
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2690; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052690 - 7 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3741
Abstract
Drunorexia refers to food calorie intake restriction to prevent weight gain and the desire to enhance the more extensive intoxicating effects of alcohol. The present study aimed to investigate the association of drunkorexia with emotion regulation as well as emotion regulation difficulties across [...] Read more.
Drunorexia refers to food calorie intake restriction to prevent weight gain and the desire to enhance the more extensive intoxicating effects of alcohol. The present study aimed to investigate the association of drunkorexia with emotion regulation as well as emotion regulation difficulties across the Lebanese population, and assess disordered eating attitudes as a potential mediator of these relationships. The cross-sectional study enrolled participants (n = 258) from all Lebanese districts. The study was performed through an online survey based on a self-designed and structured questionnaire. The Drunkorexia Motives and Behaviors Scales (DMBS), the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale (CLASS), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) were used in the present study. The results showed that higher EAT-26 total scores (more disordered eating attitudes) (B = 0.16) and higher DERS-16 total score (B = 0.30) were significantly associated with more drunkorexia motives. Also, higher EAT-26 total scores (B = 0.09) and higher DERS-16 total score (B = 0.17) were significantly associated with more drunkorexia behaviors. In addition, higher EAT-26 total scores (B = 0.10) and higher DERS-26 total score (B = 0.36) were significantly associated with more drunkorexia fails. Furthermore, higher EAT-26 total scores (B = 0.07), and higher DERS-16 total score (B = 0.37) were significantly associated with more drunkorexia during an alcohol consumption event. Higher EAT-26 total scores (B = 0.09), and higher DERS-16 total score (B = 0.22) were significantly associated with more post-drinking compensation. Higher EAT-26 total scores (B = 0.21), higher DERS-16 total scores (B = 0.65) and higher emotion regulation (B = 0.33) were significantly associated with higher CLASS scores. The results showed that EAT-26 total scores partially mediated the association between DERS-16 total score and drunkorexia motives (25.20%), between DERS-16 total score and drunkorexia behaviors (25.16%), between DERS-16 total score and drunkorexia fails (106.87%), between DERS-16 total score and drunkorexia during an alcohol consumption event (11.84%), between DERS-16 total score and post-drinking compensation (22.55%), between ERQ total score and college life alcohol salience (8.35%) and between DERS-16 total score and college life alcohol salience (20.14%). This study highlighted that only emotional regulation difficulties were associated with drunkorexia, whereas emotional regulation was not significantly associated with such behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours)

Review

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19 pages, 933 KiB  
Review
The Promotion of Eating Behaviour Change through Digital Interventions
by Yang Chen, Federico J. A. Perez-Cueto, Agnès Giboreau, Ioannis Mavridis and Heather Hartwell
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(20), 7488; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207488 - 15 Oct 2020
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6064
Abstract
Diet-related chronic disease is a global health epidemic giving rise to a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. With the rise of the digital revolution, there has been increased interest in using digital technology for eating behavioural change as a mean of diet-related [...] Read more.
Diet-related chronic disease is a global health epidemic giving rise to a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. With the rise of the digital revolution, there has been increased interest in using digital technology for eating behavioural change as a mean of diet-related chronic disease prevention. However, evidence on digital dietary behaviour change is relatively scarce. To address this problem, this review considers the digital interventions currently being used in dietary behaviour change studies. A literature search was conducted in databases like PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Medline, and PsycInfo. Among 119 articles screened, 15 were selected for the study as they met all the inclusion criteria according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) search strategy. Four primary digital intervention methods were noted: use of personal digital assistants, use of the internet as an educational tool, use of video games and use of mobile phone applications. The efficiency of all the interventions increased when coupled with tailored feedback and counselling. It was established that the scalable and sustainable properties of digital interventions have the potential to bring about adequate changes in the eating behaviour of individuals. Further research should concentrate on the appropriate personalisation of the interventions, according to the requirements of the individuals, and proper integration of behaviour change techniques to motivate long-term adherence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychology of Eating: Understanding of Eating Behaviours)
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