AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108421
Riley J. Jouppi , Colin E. Vize , Christine C. Call , Rebecca L. Emery Tavernier , Lydia B. Brown , Rachel P. Kolko Conlon , Jennifer L. Grace , Gina M. Sweeney , Michele D. Levine
{"title":"Pregnancy Eating Attitudes-Questionnaire (PEA-Q): Longitudinal measurement invariance from early to late pregnancy in a community sample","authors":"Riley J. Jouppi , Colin E. Vize , Christine C. Call , Rebecca L. Emery Tavernier , Lydia B. Brown , Rachel P. Kolko Conlon , Jennifer L. Grace , Gina M. Sweeney , Michele D. Levine","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Pregnancy Eating Attitudes-Questionnaire (PEA-Q) assesses pregnancy-specific eating/weight attitudes that impact birthing individuals. This novel self-report measure, comprising Permissive Eating/Weight Attitudes, Intentional Eating Changes, and Lack of Worry about Eating/Weight factors, demonstrated promising psychometric properties when administered late in pregnancy. To evaluate the PEA-Q's ability to adequately capture pregnancy-specific eating/weight attitudes <em>across</em> pregnancy, we employed longitudinal measurement invariance (MI) testing among a community sample of pregnant individuals with pre-pregnancy body mass index≥25. Participants (<em>N</em> = 312) enrolled in a randomized perinatal health behavior trial completed the PEA-Q at <em>M</em>(<em>SD</em>) = 13.6(2.7) and 36.5(1.3) weeks' gestation. We performed longitudinal MI testing in steps to establish equivalence of the PEA-Q at early and late pregnancy and to compare PEA-Q scores between these timepoints. Models covaried for randomization status. Partial strong invariance was ultimately achieved by freeing the intercepts of one item. Results from latent mean difference testing documented significantly lower scores on Permissive Eating/Weight Attitudes and Lack of Worry about Eating/Weight (<em>p</em> ≤ .01), but not Intentional Eating Changes (<em>p</em> = .08), in early versus late pregnancy. Findings indicate that the PEA-Q adequately captures pregnancy-specific eating/weight attitudes in both early and late pregnancy and, thus, can be used to assess change over this period. In the present sample, changes in PEA-Q scores from early to late pregnancy suggest that pregnant individuals may experience increasingly permissive eating/weight attitudes and less worry about eating/weight as pregnancy progresses. Future research examining the health implications of PEA-Q changes across pregnancy is warranted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108421"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108426
Julia Q. Shen , Jonas House , Bob C. Mulder , Sigrid Wertheim-Heck
{"title":"“I care but it doesn't keep me up at night”: A qualitative exploration of perceptions of biodiversity-friendly food consumption","authors":"Julia Q. Shen , Jonas House , Bob C. Mulder , Sigrid Wertheim-Heck","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biodiversity, crucial for resilient agri-food systems, is declining at an unprecedented rate, partly due to changing food systems. Lack of consumer willingness has been identified as a barrier to adopt biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, however, a consumer perspective remains underexplored. This paper presents findings from four focus group discussions in the Netherlands with a relatively environmentally-conscious sample (N = 24), exploring how they perceive biodiversity-friendly production and consumption. These discussions reveal two main insights: first, participants are aware of the negative ecological impacts of food systems and can identify key drivers of biodiversity loss, such as increased chemical inputs, monocultures and unsustainable consumption patterns. They recognize the systemic nature of these problems, describing the system as ‘locked in’ by economic and institutional constraints. Second, while participants stress the role of consumers in driving food systems (change), they simultaneously express ambivalence around their own agency to do so. Mapped according to the COM-B model, the study identifies drivers and barriers related to people's perceived capability (e.g., limited visibility of biodiversity), opportunity (e.g., limited availability and accessibility of alternatives), and motivation (e.g., conflicting priorities) to consume in a more biodiversity-friendly way. We argue that this tension between responsibility and agency reflects a broader discourse of consumer responsibilization, in which individuals are assigned responsibility for solving broader problems through their consumption, without being given the means to. The study demonstrates the need for systems that enable biodiversity-friendly food consumption, as well as foster a more balanced societal discourse on responsibility and agency in food systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108426"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145773147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108423
Fanta Ndioba Sylla , Abdoulaye Diagne
{"title":"Behind the plate: revealing the drivers of women's food choices in Senegal","authors":"Fanta Ndioba Sylla , Abdoulaye Diagne","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Women's eating practices in Senegal are shaped by intersecting economic, cultural, and environmental factors that contribute to the growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases. This study examines key determinants of food choices among women across income levels and urban–rural settings, using a mixed-methods design based on the 2021 National Survey on Food Consumption in Senegal conducted by Consortium pour la Recherche Economique et Sociale. The quantitative analysis included 1764 women, while the qualitative component comprised 31 focus group discussions and 6 in-depth interviews. Quantitative findings indicate that freshness, hygiene, and price are primary purchase criteria, with freshness cited by 88 % of women in the richest quintile versus 60 % in the poorest (χ<sup>2</sup> = 92.59, p < 0.001; Cramér's V = 0.227), showing a moderate effect of income. Hygiene followed a similar trend (Cramér's V = 0.156), whereas price was universally cited (Cramér's V = 0.03). Women in lower-income households favour affordable, energy-dense foods, while wealthier women prioritise taste, convenience, and packaging. Qualitative analyses further reveal gender roles, cultural and religious taboos, and advertising shape choices, creating implicit pressure to prepare flavourful meals despite health risks. Media exposure enhances the appeal of ultra-processed products as symbols of modernity. Urban–rural disparities in food availability influence dietary diversity and nutritional outcomes. These findings underscore the complexity of food decision-making and highlight the need for culturally grounded, context-sensitive interventions that promote nutritional awareness and healthier diets tailored to socioeconomic realities and women's central role in household food provisioning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108423"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145779743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-12DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108420
Mengying Liu , Jingyi Jiang , Jianping Huang , Xiaoang Wan
{"title":"Gender differences in multi-attribute dietary decision making under time pressure: A hierarchical drift-diffusion approach","authors":"Mengying Liu , Jingyi Jiang , Jianping Huang , Xiaoang Wan","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Time pressure influences decision-making across domains, but its effects on multi-attribute dietary decision and potential gender differences remain unclear. Using an incentive-compatible paradigm, we investigated how time pressure might modulate the cognitive mechanisms of food choices in men and women. Participants made binary choices between health-taste tradeoffs under time-pressure and no-time-pressure conditions. Behavioral results revealed that time pressure altered choice patterns across genders, with no gender differences in response times or healthier choices under both time conditions. Hierarchical drift-diffusion modeling (HDDM) revealed three key mechanisms. First, male participants shifted from deliberative health-taste integration to hedonic-dominant processing under time pressure, whereas female participants maintained stable taste-focused strategies. Second, both genders showed reduced decision thresholds under time constraints, requiring less evidence for choices. Third, time pressure eliminated baseline gender differences in perceptual-motor speed. Collectively, these findings indicated that temporal constraints may restructure dietary decision-making through both gender-specific strategies and shared adaptive responses, offering insights for designing personalized choice environments to promote healthier eating.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108420"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145754933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108428
Scott A. Willis , Arwa Alruwaili , Iuliana Hartescu , Kevin Deighton , Christopher Goodwin , Joseph Henson , Alice E. Thackray , David J. Stensel , James A. King
{"title":"Associations of self-reported sleep quality and duration with dietary eating behaviours: a cross-sectional study of 27,263 UK adults","authors":"Scott A. Willis , Arwa Alruwaili , Iuliana Hartescu , Kevin Deighton , Christopher Goodwin , Joseph Henson , Alice E. Thackray , David J. Stensel , James A. King","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sub-optimal sleep, whether insufficient, excessive, or poor-quality, is an independent risk factor for obesity, largely through influencing energy intake via altered appetite and reward processing. Less is known about its influence on real-world dietary behaviours. We examined associations of self-reported sleep quality and duration with dietary eating behaviours in a large UK adult cohort. 27,263 adults (median (interquartile range): age, 51.0 (16.0) years; BMI, 25.2 (5.3) kg/m<sup>2</sup>; 40.5 % female) completed a standardised health assessment, including self-reported sleep quality (1–10 scale) and duration. Thirteen eating behaviours broadly reflecting emotional/reward-driven eating, dietary disinhibition, food preferences, and meal patterns were assessed via questionnaire. Regression models examined associations between sleep characteristics and eating behaviours, adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, assessment year, and region. Odds ratios (OR) are presented for ordinal/binary outcomes and rate ratios (RR) for count outcomes. Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration were associated with an eating profile suggestive of heightened emotional/reward-driven eating and reduced dietary restraint. This included higher odds/frequency of eating out of boredom, stress, or anger, overeating, skipping meals, and consuming energy-dense foods (OR/RR range: 1.08–3.50, <em>P</em> ≤ 0.018). Long sleep duration was linked to higher emotional eating (OR range: 1.16–1.19, <em>P</em> < 0.001) but showed fewer signs of impulsivity or disinhibited intake. Some behaviours, like adding sugar to food and snacking, were not consistently related to sleep characteristics. In conclusion, short and poor-quality sleep are associated with eating patterns that may increase obesity risk. Interventions targeting sleep extension and quality could support healthier dietary behaviours and appetite regulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108428"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145779649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-11-25DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108394
Lotte de Lint , Rachelle de Vries , Merije van Rookhuijzen , Suzanne op ‘t Landt , Emely de Vet
{"title":"Beyond the first choice: How (nudged) vegetarian food choices spill over to subsequent food choices","authors":"Lotte de Lint , Rachelle de Vries , Merije van Rookhuijzen , Suzanne op ‘t Landt , Emely de Vet","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food choices are not made within a vacuum but depend upon earlier decisions, resulting in spillover effects where subsequent choices are either similar (consistency) or contrasting (balancing). Little is known about spillovers in vegetarian (versus non-vegetarian) choices and how Vegetarian Eating Motives (VEM) or contextual factors influence these patterns. This study explored these dynamics through two online experiments. The first experiment (N = 251) utilized a within-subject design in a sequential three-course meal ordering scenario. The second experiment (N = 439) employed an improved mixed design by varying contextual factors (labeling and availability). Both experiments did not observe spillovers between vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices in neutral contexts. We found evidence of spillover when labeling vegetarian dishes as 'Healthy & Sustainable'. This generated more consistency among individuals with strong <em>VEM</em> but increased balancing among those with weaker <em>VEM</em> (OR = 2.29, 95 % CI = (1.25, 4.19)), without altering overall vegetarian choice rates. Enlarging the availability of vegetarian options at the first choice increased in-the-moment vegetarian selection, yet we find no evidence of balancing at later choices. In sum, we only detect spillovers when vegetarian options were labeled as ‘Healthy & Sustainable’, with the direction of the spillover depending on an individual's <em>VEM</em>. These findings support availability interventions as an effective strategy for increasing in-the-moment vegetarian selection, while highlighting the need for caution with labeling approaches, since this did not increase vegetarian selection but might generate unintended spillover effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108394"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145627193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-11-27DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108389
Elisama Costa Lopes , Priscylla Rodrigues Vilella , Paula Ruffoni Moreira , Sarah Warkentin , Alexandre Siqueira Guedes Coelho , Géssica Mercia de Almeida , Matias Noll , Raquel Machado Schincaglia , Karine Anusca Martins
{"title":"Parental autonomy-supportive food practices and fruit and vegetable consumption in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Elisama Costa Lopes , Priscylla Rodrigues Vilella , Paula Ruffoni Moreira , Sarah Warkentin , Alexandre Siqueira Guedes Coelho , Géssica Mercia de Almeida , Matias Noll , Raquel Machado Schincaglia , Karine Anusca Martins","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108389","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108389","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the relationship between parental autonomy-supportive food practices and the consumption of fruit and vegetable in children aged 2–12 years. Six electronic databases (PubMed®, EMBASE®, Web of Science™, Scopus™, PsycINFO®, and LILACS®), Google Scholar®, and reference lists were systematically searched for studies published before January 9, 2025. Studies assessing autonomy-supportive food practices (reported by caregivers and/or children) and child consumption of fruit and/or vegetable were included. Data were collected using a standardized form, risk of bias was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Two authors independently conducted all review steps, and a third reviewer resolved disagreements. A random-effects model was applied, and stratified meta-analyses were performed using R software. A total of 53 studies were included. Although individual study results were inconsistent, a correlation-based meta-analysis found weak but significant associations of verbal and visual encouragement to eat (K = 36; r = 0.17, 95 % confidence interval [CI] [0.13, 0.21]) and involvement (K = 13; r = 0.13, 95 % CI [0.09, 0.16]) with children's fruit and vegetable consumption; significance persisted in the regression-based meta-analysis (encouragement to eat: K = 14; β = 0.07, 95 % CI [0.02, 0.12]; involvement: K = 5; β = 0.10, 95 % CI [0.04, 0.16]). Teachable moments, praise, and negotiation showed weak but significant correlations (r ranging from 0.11 to 0.16). Findings suggest that verbal and visual encouragement to eat and involvement are associated with children's fruit and vegetable intake. Teachable moments, praise, and negotiation show weak positive correlations, although all these associations have small effect sizes and are primarily derived from cross-sectional studies in high-income countries.</div></div><div><h3>Systematic review registration</h3><div>PROSPERO registration number CRD42023442680.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108389"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145627337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108427
Anna C. Rauen , Andrea H. Meyer , Felicitas Forrer , Verena M. Müller , Simone Munsch
{"title":"The role of appearance-based and interpersonal rejection sensitivity in youth loss of control eating: A one-year longitudinal study","authors":"Anna C. Rauen , Andrea H. Meyer , Felicitas Forrer , Verena M. Müller , Simone Munsch","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A significant number of youths experience loss of control eating (LOC), characterized by a sense of losing control over eating, regardless of food amount. Binge eating, a common LOC variant, involves consuming large amounts of food in a short period, often accompanied by distress. Previous research suggests that interpersonal and appearance-based rejection sensitivity (RS), the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to rejection, may contribute to the development and persistence of LOC variants. This study examined whether baseline levels of interpersonal and appearance-based RS are associated with LOC variants one year later in a youth sample aged 14–24 and enriched for LOC and binge eating by virtue of recruitment strategies. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression models indicate that both interpersonal and appearance-based RS were associated with the occurrence of self-reported monthly binge eating episodes one year later, but not with the frequency of binge eating episodes. The findings highlight RS as a potential influencing factor for the development and maintenance of LOC variants, even in the absence of severe body dissatisfaction or mood disturbances. Early interventions targeting emotional responses to perceived rejection, particularly appearance-related, may help prevent or reduce LOC behaviors during adolescence and emerging adulthood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108427"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145779691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-09DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108417
Mégane Ackermans, Nienke C. Jonker, Peter J. de Jong
{"title":"No heightened temporal attentional bias towards food or overweight bodies in adolescents with obesity","authors":"Mégane Ackermans, Nienke C. Jonker, Peter J. de Jong","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A better understanding of factors contributing to the development and maintenance of obesity is needed in order to generate effective interventions. One factor that may be responsible for making some individuals more vulnerable to overeating and remaining obese is an increased attentional bias (AB) towards food. For individuals with obesity food stimuli may be processed relatively efficiently and require less attentional resources to enter awareness. Once a food stimulus has captured attention, it may be preferentially processed and granted prioritized access to limited cognitive resources. Such capturing of attention is termed temporal AB and heightened temporal AB might undermine attempts to restrict food intake and render individuals vulnerable to overeating and remaining obese. To test whether temporal AB could play a role in the maintenance of adolescent obesity, this study tested whether adolescents with obesity showed a greater temporal AB towards food than adolescents with a healthy weight using a single target Rapid Serial Visual Presentation Task (RSVP). Fifty-one adolescents with obesity and 51 adolescents with a healthy weight matched on age, sex and educational level (79 % female, <em>M</em> age = 16.5) completed the RSVP with food and neutral pictures as distractors. We added pictures of overweight bodies as distractors to explore the relevance of processing priority of body features in adolescents with obesity. We found no difference in temporal AB towards food or overweight bodies between adolescents with obesity and adolescents with a healthy weight. Our findings provided no evidence for the notion that these biases may play a role in the maintenance of adolescent obesity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108417"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145740324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108431
Sasa Wang, Chenzhuo Gao, Weidong Li
{"title":"Multiple unhealthy eating behaviors among left-behind children in rural China: the interplay of loneliness and diverse social environments","authors":"Sasa Wang, Chenzhuo Gao, Weidong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated how personal emotions (i.e., loneliness) and diverse environments were associated, both individually and interactively, with multiple unhealthy eating behaviors in rural left-behind children (LBC). The study included 2861 children from three rural counties in central and western China. Results indicated that LBC-S (both parents migrating, at least one short-term) and LBC-L (both parents migrating long-term) exhibited more unhealthy eating behaviors than non-LBC, and LBC-S exhibited the highest dietary risk. Loneliness was associated with multiple unhealthy eating behaviors, but the intensity of this association varied with parental migration status. With increasing loneliness, the rise in multiple unhealthy eating behaviors was most pronounced in non-LBC, followed by LBC-L; both groups showed a significantly greater increase than LBC-S; partial LBC-S (one parent migrating short-term and the other at home) exhibited a declining trend. Moreover, LBC's multiple unhealthy eating behaviors were shaped by diverse environments. Positive predictors included peer dieting communication, exposure to peers' and teachers' unhealthy eating behaviors, and watching food-related videos on social media; conversely, frequent family meals, peer nutritional communication, school-based dietary education, and online nutritional information-seeking served as protective factors. However, family dinners and watching food-related videos on social media played divergent roles for lonely children: frequent family dinners significantly increased their multiple unhealthy eating behaviors, while watching food-related videos reduced such behaviors. Therefore, in addition to familial care arrangements, emotional states and diverse environments should be considered as crucial factors in analyzing the causes of unhealthy eating behaviors among LBC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 108431"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145792801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}