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ASSOCIATIONS AMONG FOOD CRAVINGS, WEIGHT, EATING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, MOOD, AND BODY DISSATISFACTION IN PREGNANT WOMEN
Title
ASSOCIATIONS AMONG FOOD CRAVINGS, WEIGHT, EATING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, MOOD, AND BODY DISSATISFACTION IN PREGNANT WOMEN
Creator
Hecht, Leah
Date
2014, 2014-12
Description
Based on Institute of Medicine recommendations, excessive gestational weight gain is a widely documented problem. At present, the relation...
Show moreBased on Institute of Medicine recommendations, excessive gestational weight gain is a widely documented problem. At present, the relation between gestational weight gain and food cravings in pregnancy is largely unknown. This study sought to assess associations between gestational food cravings and the following adverse outcomes: excessive gestational weight gain, depressed mood, disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and body dissatisfaction. A community sample of 74 pregnant women completed self-report questionnaires. Appearance evaluation and body areas satisfaction, two indices of body dissatisfaction, were inversely correlated with disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, current body mass index (BMI), and pre-pregnancy BMI. Depression was significantly related to disordered eating attitudes and behaviors and to one index of body dissatisfaction. Excessive gestational weight gain was not related to the presence of food cravings or to consumption of craved foods. Trait-level food cravings were significantly related to disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and disordered eating attitude scores differed significantly based on the presence of food cravings. Moderation analyses revealed that change in BMI moderated the relation between the presence of gestational food cravings and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors after accounting for relevant covariates, such that there was a stronger association between gestational food cravings and disordered eating attitudes in women with a greater change in BMI compared to women who experienced a low change in BMI. For those with a smaller change in BMI, disordered eating did not differ based on the endorsement of food cravings. However, for those with a large change in BMI, participants who reported the presence of food cravings endorsed more disordered eating as compared to those who did not report the presence of food cravings. Food cravings and gestational weight gain should be closely monitored as they may exacerbate underlying disordered eating attitudes or behaviors.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2014
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Overvaluation of Weight and Shape Among Weight Loss Surgery Candidates
Title
Overvaluation of Weight and Shape Among Weight Loss Surgery Candidates
Creator
Hecht, Leah Marie
Date
2019
Description
Overvaluation of shape and weight is a measure of the degree to which an individual’s self-evaluation is influenced by their shape and weight....
Show moreOvervaluation of shape and weight is a measure of the degree to which an individual’s self-evaluation is influenced by their shape and weight. Among individuals with eating disorders, this construct has been associated with elevated levels of eating pathology and psychological distress. Similarly, weight loss surgery candidates often report high levels of eating pathology, including loss of control eating, in addition to elevated levels of depression. Although studies have found poorer outcomes among those who endorse overvaluation of shape and weight in addition to loss of control eating as compared to those who deny overvaluation of shape and weight, the degree to which overvaluation of shape and weight is associated with disordered eating pathology, depression, psychosocial functioning, and self-esteem among weight loss surgery candidates has not been examined. The goals of the current study were to further elucidate these associations, including the degree to which frequency of loss of control eating episodes mediates associations. Data were analyzed from 88 individuals seeking bariatric surgery. Overvaluation of shape and weight was highly prevalent, with approximately 49% of the sample endorsing their weight and/or shape had a significant impact on their self-evaluation. The results of correlational analyses supported a link between overvaluation of shape and weight and higher levels of eating pathology, including more frequent loss of control eating episodes and disordered eating attitudes, in addition to poorer psychosocial functioning as indicated by greater psychosocial impairment, depression, and lower self-esteem. While frequency of loss of control eating episodes partially mediated associations between overvaluation of shape and weight and global eating pathology, it was not a significant mediator of the associations between overvaluation of shape and weight and shape/weight concerns, weight-related psychosocial functioning, self-esteem, or depression. These findings underscore the importance of assessing pre-surgical levels of overvaluation of shape and weight among individuals seeking bariatric surgery and suggest the importance of evaluating these attitudes and behaviors following surgery.
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