Dietary Restraint and Stress-Induced Snacking in Youth |
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Authors: | James N. Roemmich Suzanne M. Wright Leonard H. Epstein |
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Affiliation: | 1. Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, New York;2. Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, New York School of Health Related Professions, Department of Physical Therapy, Exercise, and Nutrition Science, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York |
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Abstract: | Objective: To determine whether dietary restraint modifies stress-induced eating in youth. Research Methods and Procedures: Snacking was measured in boys (9.5 ± 0.3 years) and girls (9.0 ± 0.3 years), with and without dietary restraint, across a control day after reading children's magazines and/or coloring, and on a stress day after giving a videotaped speech, with order of conditions counterbalanced. Children were divided into four groups based on dietary restraint and changes in perceived stress: low-restraint/low-reactive (n = 9), low-restraint/high-reactive (n = 13), high-restraint/low-reactive (n = 10), and high-restraint/high-reactive (n = 8). Body composition was estimated by skinfolds. Results: Energy intake of snack foods was influenced differently by dietary restraint and stress reactivity in the stress and control conditions (p < 0.01). After being stressed, low-restraint/low-reactive children ate fewer snacks and high-restraint/high-reactive children ate more snacks compared with the control condition. After covarying for percentage of body fat, the interactions remained (p < 0.01). Girls ate less than boys (p < 0.001), but sex did not influence eating in control and stress conditions. Discussion: Dietary restraint occurs in children and may influence the effect of stress on eating. Interpersonal stress decreases snacking in low dietary restrained youth but increases snacking in high dietary restrained children, perhaps because of stress-induced disinhibition. |
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Keywords: | stress reactivity interpersonal stress eating behavior snacking body composition |
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