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Effects of Stress on Eating Practices Among Adults
Author(s) -
Kandiah Jay,
Yake Melissa,
Willett Heather
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
family and consumer sciences research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 1077-727X
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x08322148
Subject(s) - appetite , healthy eating , food intake , stress (linguistics) , eating behavior , feeding behavior , food habits , medicine , psychology , gerontology , environmental health , clinical psychology , food science , demography , physical activity , obesity , physical therapy , biology , endocrinology , linguistics , philosophy , sociology
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between comfort food preferences of adults when under normal (nonstressful) and stressful conditions. A total of 185 university faculty completed on InQsit, a 31‐item Stress‐Eating Survey. Sixty‐seven percent experienced changes in appetite when stressed, with 69% having an increase in appetite and 31% a decrease. Under stressful conditions, participants chose a wider variety of sweet ( p ≤ .001) and salty/crunchy foods ( p = .004). High‐restrained eaters chose significantly more types of sweet foods ( p = .031) and beverages ( p = .020) than low‐restrained eaters. Variety of mixed dishes significantly decreased ( p = .048) with increased age. This research suggests that majority of adults may experience an increased appetite with stress and may choose more types of sweet and salty/crunchy foods. Under normal and stressful conditions, it appears that gender, age, and restraint level may also influence comfort food choices.