Roni Elran Barak1, Kerem Shuval1,2, Qing Li3, Reid Oetjen4, Jeffrey Drope5, Amy L Yaroch6, Bob M Fennis7, Matthew Harding8. 1. School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel. 2. The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX 75230, USA. 3. American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. 4. Department of Health Management & Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA. 5. School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. 6. Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE 68114, USA. 7. Department of Marketing, University of Groningen, 9747AE Groningen, The Netherlands. 8. Department of Economics, University of California- Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Emotional eating, the tendency to overeat in response to negative emotions, has been linked to weight gain. However, scant evidence exists examining the prevalence and correlates of emotional eating among large samples of adults in the United States (U.S.). Hence, we examine the relationship among individual and socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and self-regulation with emotional eating patterns among U.S. adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 5863 Family Health Habits Survey participants. Multivariable, ordered, logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between the frequency of the desire to eat when emotionally upset (never, rarely, sometimes, often, and very often) and the independent variables. RESULTS: Analysis reveals that 20.5% of the sample tended to emotionally eat often or very often. Being female, non-Hispanic White, and of younger age were all related to a higher likelihood of emotional eating. Additionally, inability to delay gratification (impatience) was related to an 18% increased likelihood (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.33) for emotional eating. Finally, emotional eating was significantly related to more frequent fast-food consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Program planners might need to develop targeted interventions aimed at enhancing emotional regulation skills while addressing these less healthful behaviors (e.g., fast-food intake) with the goal of obesity and chronic disease prevention.
BACKGROUND: Emotional eating, the tendency to overeat in response to negative emotions, has been linked to weight gain. However, scant evidence exists examining the prevalence and correlates of emotional eating among large samples of adults in the United States (U.S.). Hence, we examine the relationship among individual and socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and self-regulation with emotional eating patterns among U.S. adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 5863 Family Health Habits Survey participants. Multivariable, ordered, logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between the frequency of the desire to eat when emotionally upset (never, rarely, sometimes, often, and very often) and the independent variables. RESULTS: Analysis reveals that 20.5% of the sample tended to emotionally eat often or very often. Being female, non-Hispanic White, and of younger age were all related to a higher likelihood of emotional eating. Additionally, inability to delay gratification (impatience) was related to an 18% increased likelihood (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.33) for emotional eating. Finally, emotional eating was significantly related to more frequent fast-food consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Program planners might need to develop targeted interventions aimed at enhancing emotional regulation skills while addressing these less healthful behaviors (e.g., fast-food intake) with the goal of obesity and chronic disease prevention.
Authors: Angela C M de Oliveira; Tammy C M Leonard; Kerem Shuval; Celette Sugg Skinner; Catherine Eckel; James C Murdoch Journal: J Econ Behav Organ Date: 2015-11-24
Authors: Marta Olmos-Valverde; María Carrillo-Díaz; María José González-Olmo; Martín Romero-Maroto; Isabel Jiménez-Trujillo Journal: J Clin Med Date: 2022-03-11 Impact factor: 4.241