Within-Day Variability in Negative Affect Moderates Cue Responsiveness in High-Calorie Snacking.

Thalia Papadakis,Stuart G Ferguson,Benjamin Schüz

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590497

Thalia Papadakis, Stuart G Ferguson + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590497

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Abstract

BackgroundMany discretionary foods (“snacks”) contribute both to individual health risks and to global issues, in particular through high carbon footprints and water scarcity. Snacking is influenced by the presence of snacking cues such as food availability, observing others eating, and negative affect. However, less is known about the mechanisms underlying the effects of negative affect. This study examines whether the individual odds of consuming high-calorie snacks as a consequence to being exposed to known snacking cues were moderated by experiencing (i) higher or lower total negative affect per day or (ii) higher or lower negative affect variability per day.MethodsSecondary analysis of an ecological momentary assessment study of 60 participants over 14 days with food logs and randomly timed assessments of known snacking cues. High total daily negative affect levels (daily within-participant means) and negative affect variability (daily within-participant SDs) were examined as moderators to predict high-calorie snacking in three-level hierarchical random effects logistic regressions.ResultsConsistent with previous studies, the odds of snacking increased when food was available (OR = 5.05, 95% CI 3.32, 7.66), when others were eating (OR = 5.11, 95% CI = 3.73, 6.99), and when participants experienced more negative affect (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.03). Associations for food availability (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.86, 0.99) and others eating (OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.91, 0.99) were significantly moderated by negative affect variability such that associations between cues and high-calorie snacking were weaker on days with higher negative affect variability, but not negative affect levels.ConclusionThe relationship between cues to high-calorie snacking and snacking behavior varies with variability in negative affect, suggesting a complex relationship between affect and high-calorie snacking. Clearer conceptualizations on the relation between affect and eating are needed.

Highlights

Snacks are defined as foods that are consumed outside of main meals (Hess et al, 2016)
The current study investigates the role of daily negative affect levels and daily negative affect variability as potential moderating variables of the relationship between internal and external food-related cues and high-calorie snacking in an everyday setting using Ecological Momentary Assessment methods (EMA; Shiffman et al, 2008)
Results indicated that negative affect variability was a significant moderator of the relationship between food availability and snacking (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.86, 0.99) and observing others eating and snacking (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91, 0.99)

Summary

Introduction

Snacks (i.e., discretionary food choices) are defined as foods that are consumed outside of main meals (Hess et al, 2016). For example almost 30% of food-related GHGE in Australia result from discretionary foods, with an even higher contribution in individual diets high in snacks (Hendrie et al, 2016). The production of high-energy discretionary foods consumes substantial amounts of water, and the contribution of discretionary foods to water scarcity has been estimated around 35% (Riddout et al, 2019). It is vital to further our understanding of the factors that influence snacking, in order to both mitigate the negative effects of snacking on health and the overall environment, and to promote research aimed at changing obesity related eating behavior. Many discretionary foods (“snacks”) contribute both to individual health risks and to global issues, in particular through high carbon footprints and water scarcity. Snacking is influenced by the presence of snacking cues such as food availability, observing others eating, and negative affect. This study examines whether the individual odds of consuming high-calorie snacks as a consequence to being exposed to known snacking cues were moderated by experiencing (i) higher or lower total negative affect per day or (ii) higher or lower negative affect variability per day

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