1. Factors Associated with Emotional Eating and Body Weight in Adults Attending a Weight Management Intervention Susan Fox1 ; Jonathan Egan2, Sinead Conneely2 1 School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway 2 School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway
Background
Methods
Results
Obesity is a leading public health concern (NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2016). Clinical Health Psychology is increasingly concerned with eating behaviour in sub-clinical eating pathology.
Research suggests that emotion plays a key role in eating behaviour. Therefore, emotional eating is an important public health concern. Emotional eating is a tendency to overeat in response to affect (van Strien & Ouwen, 2007).
Study Design:
A cross-sectional observational, quantitative study.
Participants:
Adults with a BMI of 25+ (clinically overweight or obese) attending a weight management intervention (n=97).
Procedure:
Participants completed non-invasive clinical measures of BMI and body fat and; a battery of self report validated measures, including:
Emotional Eating behaviour (DEBQ-em)
Attitude towards Emotional Expression (AEE)
Mindful Awareness (Observe subscale, KIMS)
McCullough et al., (2003)
Affect Phobia Model
Hierarchical regression- Step 1 (age & gender- 8%),
2 (BMI, 7%), 3 (AEE, 39%), 4(Observe, 1%). Model was significant (F (1, 88) = 14.25, p = .000, R2 = .56, Adj R2 = .53). AEE was only significant predictor of emotional eating (β = .59, p = .000). Regression analyses were then extended to evaluate how well each of the AEE subscales predicted emotional eating. The model was significant (F (1, 88) = 14.25, p = .000, R2 = .56, Adj R2 = .53). Attitude that expressing emotions is a sign of weakness was a significant predictor of emotional eating (β = .31, p = .048). AEE was a significant predictor of emotional eating. AEE subscale, control and the DEBQ-em subscale diffuse were statistically significant predictors of BMI. Mediation analyses, revealed that observe medoated the relationship between AEE and emotional eating (b = 0.076, BCa CI [0.002, 0.181], representing a medium effect size, R2 = .248, 95% BCa [.109, .398] ).
Conclusions
Findings highlight the influence of AEE on emotional eating and body weight, thereby helping to validate recent developments in an affect phobia model of emotional eating. Findings highlight the prevalence of emotional eating in overweight and obese adults. The potential preventative role of mindfulness may be limited. Validation of the model may be a useful framework for the development and implementation of weight management interventions.
Aims
Finnegan, Egan & Gibbons (2014) put forward an affect phobia model to explain the relationship between emotional eating and body weight.
This study sought to test this model in a sample of overweight and obese adults attending a weight management programme.
Selected References:
McCullough, L. (Ed.). (2003). Treating affect phobia: A manual for short-term dynamic psychotherapy. Guilford Press.
Finnegan, R., Egan, J., & Gibbons, A. (2014). Factors Associated With Emotional Eating and BMI: a SEM Modelling Approach. European Health Psychologist, 16(S), 720.
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