F Marijn Stok1, Emely De Vet2, Jane Wardle3, Maria T Chu4, John De Wit5, Denise T D De Ridder6. 1. Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Psychological Assessment and Health Psychology, University of Konstanz, Germany. Electronic address: F.M.Stok@uu.nl. 2. Communication, Philosophy and Technology, Centre for Integrative Development, Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands. 3. Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK. 4. Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK; School of Health Sciences, City University London, UK. 5. National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales, Australia. 6. Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Living in an obesogenic environment may not affect all adolescents to the same extent, depending on their psychological sensitivity to the food environment and their self-regulatory competence. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations of these two factors with unhealthy snacking among adolescents. We also investigated whether self-regulatory competence could attenuate the negative effects of being sensitive to the food environment. METHODS: A survey was completed by 11,392 European adolescents (10-17years old). The survey measured psychological sensitivity to the food environment, self-regulatory competence and self-reported unhealthy snack intake. RESULTS: Higher food environment sensitivity and lower self-regulatory competence were associated with more unhealthy snacking. The two factors also interacted, with self-regulatory competence attenuating the influence of high food environment sensitivity. DISCUSSION: Adolescents who are sensitive to the food environment reported higher unhealthy snack intake. More frequent use of self-regulation strategies on the other hand was associated with lower unhealthy snack intake. Moreover, self-regulatory competence was found to moderate the influence of psychological sensitivity to the food environment on unhealthy snacking, although the effect size was small. Fostering adolescents' self-regulatory competence can help enable them to better navigate the obesogenic environment.
PURPOSE: Living in an obesogenic environment may not affect all adolescents to the same extent, depending on their psychological sensitivity to the food environment and their self-regulatory competence. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations of these two factors with unhealthy snacking among adolescents. We also investigated whether self-regulatory competence could attenuate the negative effects of being sensitive to the food environment. METHODS: A survey was completed by 11,392 European adolescents (10-17years old). The survey measured psychological sensitivity to the food environment, self-regulatory competence and self-reported unhealthy snack intake. RESULTS: Higher food environment sensitivity and lower self-regulatory competence were associated with more unhealthy snacking. The two factors also interacted, with self-regulatory competence attenuating the influence of high food environment sensitivity. DISCUSSION: Adolescents who are sensitive to the food environment reported higher unhealthy snack intake. More frequent use of self-regulation strategies on the other hand was associated with lower unhealthy snack intake. Moreover, self-regulatory competence was found to moderate the influence of psychological sensitivity to the food environment on unhealthy snacking, although the effect size was small. Fostering adolescents' self-regulatory competence can help enable them to better navigate the obesogenic environment.
Authors: Claudia K Fox; Elise F Northrop; Kyle D Rudser; Justin R Ryder; Aaron S Kelly; Megan O Bensignor; Eric M Bomberg; Carolyn T Bramante; Amy C Gross Journal: Child Obes Date: 2021-06 Impact factor: 2.867
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