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If you're happy and you know it: Associations between emotion, social context, and food choices in college freshmen
Author(s) -
Ashurst Jessica,
Woerden Irene,
Bruening Meg
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.152.6
Subject(s) - psychology , context (archaeology) , happiness , food choice , social environment , social psychology , ambivalence , logistic regression , population , developmental psychology , environmental health , medicine , geography , archaeology , pathology , political science , law
BACKGROUND A lack of evidence exists on how food choices are related to emotional and social contexts, particularly for college freshmen who are still developing eating habits as they transition into adulthood. Ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) repeatedly assess what participants are doing at a particular moment, providing real‐time data on eating behaviors with mobile technology that does not require participants to leave their environment or reflect on past behaviors. By understanding these relationships in the context of when and why the behaviors are occurring, we can better promote healthy eating in this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVE To determine the association of negative, positive, and ambivalent emotions on food choices (fruits/vegetables, pizza, and sweet/salty snacks). We also examined the relationship of social context (alone vs. with others) on food choices. METHODS College freshmen (n=1078; 64% female; 52% non‐white) residing in campus dormitories completed up to 14 mobile‐based EMAs during the fall semester of 2015 as part of SPARC ( S ocial impact of P hysical A ctivity and nut R ition in C ollege), a larger, longitudinal study assessing the nutrition and physical activity choices of students. Of the completed EMAs, 2754 surveys (n=678 students; 70% female; 51% non‐white) had data on food choices, emotion (positive and negative), and social context. Mixed effects logistic regression models examined the relationship between food choices, emotions, and social context of eating, adjusting for sociodemographics, and clustering of students within dorms. RESULTS Reporting happiness was positively associated with fruits/vegetables (OR=1.2, 95% CI: 1.0–1.4) and sweet/salty snacks (OR=1.5, 95% CI: 1.2–1.8) (p<0.05). Students who reported feeling meh were likely to report eating pizza (OR=1.3, 95%CI=1.0–1.7;p<0.05). Feeling sad was not associated with any food choices. Eating alone was positively associated with fruits and vegetables (OR=1.2, 95% CI: 1:1.4) and negatively associated pizza intake (OR=0.8, 95% CI: 0.7–0.9), above and beyond emotional state (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Emotional status was related to both healthy and unhealthy food choices. Students who eat alone were more likely to make healthier food choices. Interventions targeting college freshmen should consider how emotional and social contextual factors impact food choices. Support or Funding Information The S ocial impact of P hysical A ctivity and nut R ition in C ollege study (1DP5OD017910‐01; PI: Bruening) was funded by the NIH Office of the Director and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Content expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the authors, and may not reflect official views held by the NIH.