AppetitePub Date : 2025-08-07DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108261
Elizabeth W. Lampe , Rebecca J. Crochiere , Jannah R. Moussaoui , Caroline Martin , Destiny Crisp , Ashley Kim , Adrienne S. Juarascio , Stephanie M. Manasse
{"title":"Negative affect mediates the association between nightly sleep disturbance and next-day binge eating","authors":"Elizabeth W. Lampe , Rebecca J. Crochiere , Jannah R. Moussaoui , Caroline Martin , Destiny Crisp , Ashley Kim , Adrienne S. Juarascio , Stephanie M. Manasse","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sleep disturbance has been linked with both increased negative affect and engagement in binge-eating (BE; i.e., eating episodes accompanied by a subjective sense of loss-of-control over eating). Negative affect itself is also predictive of BE. As such, it is possible that the effect of sleep disturbance on BE can be explained by increases in negative affect. We recruited adults with clinically significant BE (<em>N</em> = 96, <em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 41.9 ± 14.1, 80.4 % female) to complete seven ecological momentary assessment surveys per day assessing sleep disturbance (morning surveys only), negative affect, and BE over 7–14 days. Mediation models evaluated whether there was an indirect effect of within-person increases in negative affect prior to binge eating on the association between within-person sleep disturbance (i.e., poor sleep quality, heightened morning fatigue, and short sleep duration relative to one's average) and binge eating. Pre-binge levels of negative affect mediated the association between both sleep quality (<em>Est</em> = −0.019, <em>S.E.</em> = 0.009, <em>p</em> = 0.028) and morning fatigue (<em>Est</em> = 0.020, <em>S.E.</em> = 0.009, <em>p</em> = 0.024) and BE. Negative affect did not significantly mediate the association between sleep duration and BE. Negative affect may be one mechanism linking sleep disturbance and BE. These findings suggest that treatments targeting sleep disturbance merit evaluation in eating disorder populations as they could eliminate sleep-related NA as a driver of BE. Future research should include objective assessment of sleep and test the additive benefit of interventions targeting sleep for BE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108261"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144811473","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 : 2025-08-07DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108260
Sandro Jenni, Maxim Trenkenschuh, Nicholas Poh-Jie Tan, Wiebke Bleidorn, Christopher J Hopwood
{"title":"Associations between romantic partners' dietary motives and their plant-based meat alternative consumption.","authors":"Sandro Jenni, Maxim Trenkenschuh, Nicholas Poh-Jie Tan, Wiebke Bleidorn, Christopher J Hopwood","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108260","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) play a key role in the transition towards more sustainable food systems. Consumer research has so far primarily focused on how personal factors influence people's decisions for or against PBMAs. Yet dietary choices are socially embedded and subject to interpersonal influences. Among these, romantic partners may be particularly important for each other's PBMA consumption because of their close relationship and high rate of meal sharing. Partner's roles might be more pronounced if partners differ in their attachment to meat. Using a Swiss convenience sample of 136 couples who differed in their level of meat consumption, we examined how dietary motives were associated with personal and partner's PBMA consumption. Both partners reported on dietary motives and food consumption in a baseline survey and across 28 shared meals, which allowed us to test between- and within-person effects using dyadic modeling frameworks. Regarding personal effects, being more concerned about animals and the environment related positively, and endorsing common meat-eating beliefs negatively, with PBMA consumption. Having limited access to alternatives was a barrier to PBMA choice for individuals with lower meat consumption. Regarding interpersonal effects, partners were more likely to eat PBMAs at meals where the other person was more concerned about animals. Lower (but not higher) meat consuming individuals' beliefs that meat is natural, necessary, and nice were associated with less frequent PBMA consumption of their partners. This exploratory study highlights the value of taking an intra- and interpersonal perspective to research on, and the promotion of, meat substitution.</p>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":" ","pages":"108260"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144811472","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 : 2025-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108239
Nastaran Malmir , Hamed Ekhtiari , Ali Farhoudian , Somaye Robatmili , Michael Nitsche
{"title":"Unraveling interoceptive processing and action dynamics: Exploring neural and psychological responses to food cues using fMRI","authors":"Nastaran Malmir , Hamed Ekhtiari , Ali Farhoudian , Somaye Robatmili , Michael Nitsche","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interoception, the perception of body signals, which is crucial for maintaining metabolic homeostasis, is asserted to play a vital role in obesity. Despite conceptual assumptions that insular interoceptive functioning contributes to obesity risk, predominantly through modulating motor cortices, this link has not been extensively explored. Therefore, to further investigate neural and psychological components underlying the processing of food cues with a specific focus on insula-based interoceptive processing, this study assessed blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses via functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRI) in 45 healthy participants (31 females/14 males, age 35.78 ± 10 years, BMI 29.52 ± 3.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) during a block-designed food cue reactivity task. Region of interest (insula) and whole brain voxel-wise correlation analyses explored neural correlates of appetitive sensations. At the psychological level, appetitive sensations (P < 0.01, d = 0.68) significantly increased, while craving control (P = 0.04, d = 0.37) decreased after cue exposure. Voxel-wise correlation analysis identified positive correlations (P < 0.01) between subjective appetitive sensation and activation of the precentral gyrus (PrG or motor cortex), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and superior parietal lobule (SPL). Moreover, altered functional connectivity dynamics were noted within the insula-PrG-IFG network during food cue exposure, with a significant reduction of IFG-PrG connections (P = 0.05). Interestingly, GFA unveiled a cross-unit latent factor across neural and psychological/behavioral measures. Overall, our findings suggest that interoceptive processing in the insula with increased motor cortex activity, and diminished inhibitory control of IFG contribute to the enhancement of an appetitive state and possibly subsequent weight gain. Further research incorporating the consummatory phase may offer deeper insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of action tendencies toward food consumption patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108239"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144781082","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}
{"title":"The relationship between maternal alexithymia and cognitive flexibility, children's emotional eating, and childhood obesity.","authors":"Pınar Aydoğan Avşar, Duygu Çalişkan, Merve Türkegün Şengül","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108258","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Childhood obesity is one of the major health challenges of the 21st century, a chronic and complicated condition that requires medical intervention. The goal of this study was to investigate the emotional eating levels of children with obesity as well as their mothers' alexithymia and cognitive flexibility, which we hypothesized to contribute to childhood obesity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a cross-sectional, case-control study of age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched 100 dyads. All mothers completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and the children completed the Emotional Eating Scale-Children (EES-C). In addition, researchers administered a clinical and sociodemographic questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The childhood obesity group exhibited significantly higher levels of emotional eating and maternal alexithymia, but also significantly lower levels of maternal cognitive flexibility compared to those in the healthy control group. Further analyses revealed a significant association between childhood obesity, maternal alexithymia, and irregular sleep patterns in children.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our results indicate that elevated levels of alexithymia in mothers of children diagnosed with obesity may influence childhood obesity. The aims of early interventions in managing pediatric obesity may include evaluations of families and mothers.</p>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":" ","pages":"108258"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144803035","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 : 2025-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108252
Diana-Mirela Nechita , Silviu-Andrei Matu
{"title":"Smartphone-delivered ecological momentary interventions for disordered eating following intense shame experiences","authors":"Diana-Mirela Nechita , Silviu-Andrei Matu","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>It is well-established that intense emotional experiences are associated with the engagement in disturbed eating behaviors, making it crucial to explore real-time interventions that can mitigate these behaviors. This study aimed to test the efficacy of brief self-compassion-based interventions delivered during moments of high shame, using ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) and assessments (EMA), on disturbed eating behaviors at next prompt.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Women with elevated levels of eating disorders symptoms from community (N = 93) were randomized into an intervention group, who received self-compassion instructions via a mobile app when reporting high levels of shame, and a control group that only monitored mood and eating behaviors. Both groups completed mood and eating behaviors ratings 5 times a day for 1 week.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The intervention group showed significant reductions in body checking behaviors following episodes of high shame compared to the control group. For binge eating behaviors, participants in the control group demonstrated an increase following shame events, while the experimental group exhibited stable levels, suggesting that self-compassion strategies mitigated shame's impact on binge eating. Additionally, participants in the intervention group were significantly less likely to report high-shame episodes during the final days of the intervention, suggesting reduced shame reactivity in daily life.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>These results highlight the potential of targeted, real-time interventions in reducing specific disordered eating behaviors, though broader strategies may be needed for others. The study emphasizes the importance of personalized, context-sensitive approaches and suggests future research should explore these methods in more diverse populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108252"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144803034","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 : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108254
Ross M. Sonnenblick , Adrienne S. Juarascio
{"title":"Men and women who seek treatment for binge-spectrum eating disorders have similar baseline characteristics","authors":"Ross M. Sonnenblick , Adrienne S. Juarascio","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108254","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108254","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Men are less likely than women to seek treatment for eating disorders (EDs), but when they do seek treatment, they have comparable outcomes. Some research has shown that men who seek treatment for EDs have different compensatory behaviors and score lower on conventional measures of ED severity, but almost no research has examined potential gender differences in psychological variables (e.g., affective lability and impulsivity) that could be viable treatment targets.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We examined differences in demographics, psychological variables, and ED pathology between men and women with binge-spectrum EDs presenting for treatment through a clinical trial. We used T-tests and Chi-square tests to explore differences for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. We corrected for multiple comparisons.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 240 participants, 34 (14.2 %) identified as men. Men and women showed clinically significant differences on only one demographic variable and two psychological variables. Men had higher BMI and more impulsivity, and they also reported higher levels of intuitive eating.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Men and women who sought treatment for their binge-spectrum EDs in this study presented similarly overall, which might explain their similar ED treatment outcomes. Nonetheless, addressing men's higher impulsivity more directly in treatment could improve their treatment outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108254"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144768157","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 : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108253
H. Lustermans , N. Bruinhof , R. Beijers , C. de Weerth
{"title":"From pregnancy to postpartum: The interplay between maternal mental health and diet","authors":"H. Lustermans , N. Bruinhof , R. Beijers , C. de Weerth","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108253","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108253","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the perinatal period, mental health issues and poor diet quality can adversely affect maternal and infant outcomes. Previous studies described associations between perinatal mental health and diet quality, but the direction of these associations remains unclear. Additionally, most studies lack insight into how these associations fluctuate within individuals over time. Therefore, this longitudinal, preregistered study in Dutch women (N = 160) examined both between- and within-person associations between maternal mental health and diet from mid pregnancy to the early postpartum. In each of three waves of data collection, women reported on their mental health complaints (depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms) and dietary intake (food frequency questionnaire). Hair samples were collected to measure hair cortisol concentrations corresponding to each wave. Using random intercept cross-lagged panel models, we found no evidence for robust between-person associations between mental health and diet quality across the three waves. We did find associations between higher levels of mental health complaints and poorer diet quality at 18 weeks of pregnancy. Furthermore, the models did not show evidence for any within-person associations, indicating one person's mental health complaints did not predict later diet quality nor vice versa. Future studies with larger, more diverse samples are needed to replicate these results, including timing within the perinatal period and eating styles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108253"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144774417","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 : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108256
Georgia Chatonidi, Riet Rosseel, Boushra Dalile, Dina Satriawan, Greet Vandermeulen, Bram Van Holm, Luke Comer, Piet Maes, Nadia Everaert, Christophe M Courtin, Kristin Verbeke
{"title":"Effect of whole meal yeast-leavened, sourdough-leavened and yeast-sourdough-leavened bread consumption on appetite, energy intake, and postprandial metabolic responses: A randomized, blinded, cross-over study.","authors":"Georgia Chatonidi, Riet Rosseel, Boushra Dalile, Dina Satriawan, Greet Vandermeulen, Bram Van Holm, Luke Comer, Piet Maes, Nadia Everaert, Christophe M Courtin, Kristin Verbeke","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108256","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bread is a major source of carbohydrates in Europe, and whole meal varieties may offer better metabolic responses and increased satiety than white bread. We compared the effects of three types of whole meal bread: whole meal yeast bread (WYB), whole meal sourdough bread (WSB), and whole meal sourdough and yeast bread (WSYB), on appetite regulation and metabolic outcomes in healthy subjects. The sourdough contained Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis and Maudiozyma humilis, and the process time depended on the leavening agent. In this double-blind, randomized crossover trial, 44 participants (25 ± 4 years, BMI: 22 ± 2 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) consumed 180g/day of each bread type for two weeks, separated by a 2-week washout period. Habitual food intake was reported and a fecal sample was collected for microbiota analysis. During a study visit on the final day of each intervention period, participants consumed 100 g of the test bread for breakfast. Oral processing, gastric emptying, and postprandial glucose, C-peptide, appetite and hormonal responses were measured. The primary outcome was ad-libitum energy intake at the subsequent lunch. Ad-libitum energy intake at lunch did not differ after consumption of the test breads. WYB and WSYB were consumed more slowly than WSB and led to slightly higher satiety (p < 0.05). Compared to the other breads, WSYB led to higher C-peptide levels, WYB resulted in greater PYY responses, and both WSB and WYB stimulated higher GLP-1 release (p < 0.05). In contrast, gastric emptying, glucose responses, ad-libitum energy intake, habitual energy intake, cholesterol, or gut microbiota composition did not differ between breads (p > 0.05). Despite the small metabolic differences, our findings suggest that whole meal bread with baker's yeast and/or sourdough had similar effects on appetite regulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":" ","pages":"108256"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144797705","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 : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108251
Maria Elena Ordaz-Castillo , Pedro Samuel Díaz-Díaz , Alicia Padrón-Monedero , Juan Revenga-Frauca , Miguel Ángel Royo-Bordonada
{"title":"Randomised controlled trial on the effect of Chilean nutritional warning labels versus nutri-score in food purchasing intentions","authors":"Maria Elena Ordaz-Castillo , Pedro Samuel Díaz-Díaz , Alicia Padrón-Monedero , Juan Revenga-Frauca , Miguel Ángel Royo-Bordonada","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108251","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108251","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The main factor causing obesity is the consumption of ultra-processed products. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of a front-of-pack nutritional warning label system versus a simple nutritional traffic light for promoting the purchase of fresh foods and enhancing the nutritional profile of the household shopping basket.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Randomised controlled intervention study of the weekly grocery shopping basket at a virtual supermarket of a sample of Spanish adults. Participants were randomised to the Chilean warning label (intervention group) or French Nutri-Score systems (control group). After making the simulated purchase, the participants completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic variables. To compare the food and nutritional profiles of the two groups, we used the independent samples <em>t</em>-test and multiple linear regression analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There were 747 participants, 391 allocated to the CWL group and 356 to the NS group. No differences were found in the percentage of fresh and minimally processed products or the nutritional profile among groups. Compared to the participants allocated to the Nutri-Score, the mean energy per 100 g of product in the shopping basket of those allocated to the warning system was 6.6 kcal lower (p = 0.05), and the mean protein content was 0,4 g lower (p = 0.04). In secondary adjusted analysis, the mean sugar content per 100 g of product in the participants allocated to the warning system was 0.63 g higher than that of those allocated to the Nutri-Score (p = 0.01), while the mean protein content was 0,44 g lower (p = 0.02).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>No differences were found in the percentage of fresh and minimally processed products or the nutritional profile in the weekly shopping basket of a sample of Spanish consumers. The protein content was slightly lower among participants allocated to food warning labels than in those allocated to the Nutri-Score system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108251"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144768158","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 : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108255
Elizabeth R Chamberlain, Lynda H Powell, Kelly Karavolos, Bryce T Daniels, Nicole Trabold, Caitlyn L Wilson, Jacinda M Nicklas, Kevin S Masters
{"title":"Association between self-reported behavioral habits and their respective behavioral risk factors in individuals with metabolic syndrome.","authors":"Elizabeth R Chamberlain, Lynda H Powell, Kelly Karavolos, Bryce T Daniels, Nicole Trabold, Caitlyn L Wilson, Jacinda M Nicklas, Kevin S Masters","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of this paper is to measure the degree to which simple automatic habits assessed with the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) are associated with validated measures of complex behavioral risk factors in an at-risk population of those with metabolic syndrome (MetS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>At baseline (2019-2022), 618 participants from 5 US cities who met criteria for MetS to qualify for the ELM trial were administered a series of measures to assess 4 habits (1/2 plate of vegetables at meals, daily brisk walks, pause before reacting, and notice sensory experiences) and 5 behavioral risk factors the habits were intended to represent (vegetable intake, moderate intensity physical activity, daily steps, emotional regulation, and sensory awareness). Spearman's rho correlations between each habit measure and its concomitant behavioral risk factor were calculated to assess criterion validity, spillover to other related behavioral risk factors, and discriminant validity relative to the Perceived Stress Scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three of the four habits showed moderate correlations with their respective risk factors with ranges from r = 0.31 to r = 0.44 (all p < 0.001). The strongest association was an inverse correlation between the habit pause before reacting and perceived stress (r = -0.34, p < 0.001). The weakest associations were between the physical activity habit and accelerometer-assessed moderate intensity physical activity (r = 0.16) and daily steps (r = 0.18), both p < 0.001.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study supports a correspondence between habits assessed by the SRHI and the more complex behavioral risk factors they are intended to represent. It justifies targeting simple habits in service of improving complex behavioral risk factors and managing clinical problems such as MetS.</p>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":" ","pages":"108255"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144774416","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}