This thesis examined how women cope with various types of body-related discrepancies, such as those related to their physical appearance, and their effects on eating behavior. The Hierarchical Action-Based Model of Inconsistency Compensation, an integrative model comprising tenets from the action-based model of dissonance (Harmon-Jones et al., 2009) and Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), was used as a guiding framework to understand motivational differences in compensation processes and eating behavior following a body-related discrepancy. This objective was achieved through three studies broken down into two articles. The first study (Article 1; N = 398) used a mixed method cross-sectional design and examined the types of body-related discrepancies women face, their contextual elicitors, and motivational differences in the propensity of experiencing them. Following the recollection of such experiences, the associations between women’s motivation for eating regulation and eating intentions, and the mediating role of dissonance-based processes in these relationships, were examined. Results revealed that women, in general, experience discrepancies related to the appearance and care toward their body. These experiences were often elicited by body exposure (e.g., reflection in the mirror) and occurred in a non-social-evaluative context. Additionally, women with more controlled eating regulation experienced more discrepancies in eating quality and physical activity. Furthermore, results demonstrated that women with more autonomous eating regulation intended to engage in more healthy eating in response to a body-related discrepancy, whereas women with more controlled eating regulation intended to engage in more disordered eating. These distinct pathways were partly explained by differences in self-compassion, and consequently dissonance arousal, and selection of behavioral (versus cognitive) compensation strategies. The second study (Article 2; N = 107) replicated findings from Study 1 by exposing women to a mirror while being instructed to talk about their body in a non-social-evaluative (n = 52) or a social-evaluative (i.e., presence of two female judges; n = 55) context. Dissonance was experimentally manipulated in an additive fashion (i.e., mirror versus mirror and social evaluation) to determine whether motivational differences in dissonance processes and eating behaviors were contingent upon the evaluative nature of the context. Results partly replicated findings in Study 1, such that women with more autonomous eating regulation intended to engage in more healthy eating following mirror exposure (ME), and this relationship was partly explained by engagement in behavior modification strategies, whereas women with more controlled eating regulation intended to engage in more disordered eating following ME. These relationships persisted across ME conditions. Finally, the third study (Article 2; N = 199) used the same paradigm as Study 2 with the additional manipulation of women’s self-related body talk during ME, such that women were instructed to engage in positive/compassionate (social-evaluative n = 47; non-social-evaluative n = 52) or negative (social-evaluative n = 48; non-social-evaluative n = 52) body talk. This allowed us to observe the effects of positive and negative body talk on women’s eating behaviors and the moderating role of motivation following ME. Results demonstrated that women with more controlled eating regulation benefitted from counter-attitudinal (positive/compassionate) body talk during ME as indicated by more intent to engage in healthy eating behavior. Taken together, results suggest that increased salience of body-related discrepancies negatively affects women’s ability to regulate their eating if they do so for more controlled reasons. This is partly attributed to low emotion regulation resources and use of avoidant compensation strategies. However, these negative implications on their eating behavior can be alleviated via dissonance by facilitating the restructuring of body-related cognitions in contexts that typically elicit body-related discrepancies.

Introduction: According to a national survey, 10-17 years old with any parent born outside the US have a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than children with parent(s) born in the US. Therefore, children of Black immigrant parents living in the US are at elevated risk of being overweight or obese, thus increasing their risks of morbidity and mortality as they age. Parents play a crucial role in shaping their children's nutrition through their food parenting practices, defined as behaviors or actions that affect the child's dietary habits. The aim of this study was to examine food parenting practices among a sample of Black immigrant mothers living in Metro Atlanta using a modified Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES). Methods: Black immigrant mothers with children 2-19 years old were primarily recruited via social media, and 103 of them completed the 44-questions CHES. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the survey data in SPSS statistical analysis software. Results: Based on survey findings, mothers used all three food parenting practices, coercive control, structure, and autonomy support or promotion. However, they used structure the most, in feeding their children, which directly influence mothers’ reports of their children’s dietary behavior and habits. Furthermore, education, income, age of migration, mother’s concern for child’s weight, and child’s sex were significantly associated with the participants’ food parenting practices. Specifically, mothers with more income, more education, or who migrated before age 14 were more likely to have better meals and snack routines and healthy food available and accessible. Also, female children were more likely to be involved in meal planning compared to male children, and mothers who migrated at age 14 or older were more likely to model unhealthy food behaviors. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a baseline for the food parenting practices of Black immigrant mothers in the US and important factors (i.e., income, education, and age of migration) that influence their children’s dietary behavior. These findings can help inform diet-related disease prevention efforts in children like this Black immigrant population.

Rapid infant weight gain (RWG) in the first six months postpartum is a strong predictor for obesity during childhood and adolescence. Although biological factors can influence infant weight gain trajectories, the modifiable factor of parent feeding practices can also have an influence. The use of food to soothe (FTS), or the act of feeding a child when he/she is upset for reasons other than hunger, has been associated with unhealthy eating behaviors and less-favorable weight outcomes in children and older infants. However, limited studies have explored the use of FTS during early infancy before the introduction of solids foods. The present study was a secondary analysis of mothers who completed previous infant feeding studies (n = 134) and was aimed at exploring whether maternal-reported use of FTS was associated with greater infant weight gain during the first six months postpartum and whether feeding type (exclusive breastfeeding versus exclusive formula-feeding versus mixed feeding) or bottle-feeding intensity (percent of daily feedings from a bottle) moderated this association. Both maternal-reported and observational measures of maternal and infant characteristics and their associations with the use of FTS were also explored. Individual correlations as well as multiple and logistic regressions were used to assess whether FTS predicted change in weight-for-age, weight-for-length, and/or RWG from birth to study entry. One-way ANOVA tests were used to assess the differences in use of FTS by feeding type and/or bottle-feeding intensity. Individual correlations and multiple regressions were used to assess whether maternal feeding style and/or infant temperament, clarity of cues, and/or eating behavior predicted the use of FTS. The mean age for infants was 14.8 weeks (SD = 7.1, range = 1.7 - 31.0 weeks). The results showed that the use of FTS had a significant negative association with percent of daily feedings from a bottle (r = -0.20, p = 0.021), and a significantly higher association among mothers who reported mixed feeding (M = 2.87, SD = 0.20) versus exclusive formula feeding (M = 2.20, SD = 0.20). Greater pressuring feeding, greater infant negativity, and lower infant surgency were all significant predictors for the use of FTS (p < 0.05). FTS was not significantly associated with infant weight gain during the first 6 months postpartum. Neither feeding type or bottle-feeding intensity moderated the relationship between the use of FTS and infant weight gain. Future studies would benefit from recruiting a more diverse sample population, including measures of FTS that have been validated on infants younger than 3 months, and following the infants at more frequent time points from birth to 6 months postpartum.

A large portion of the American public is overweight and many are classified as being obese.  Obesity and unhealthy eating behavior are partially related to the increase in our society""s consumption of foods away from home. Accordingly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested new menu labeling regulations to help educate customers on healthy items among menu selections. Few studies have tried to understand customers"" healthy eating behavior in restaurants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand and to predict customers' healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants, using the theory of planned behavior and the health belief model. The results showed that attitude toward healthy eating behavior and subjective norm positively influenced intention to engage in healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants while perceived behavioral control did not. For healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants, perceived threat, self-efficacy, response to provision of nutrition information (cue to action) were significant predictors. However, perceived benefits and barriers were not statistically significant. Also, the study found that subjective nutrition knowledge influenced customers' response to provision of nutrition information whereas objective nutrition knowledge did not. Customers' healthy eating behavior positively influenced their willingness to patronize a restaurant that offers healthy menu items, which means that those who try to eat healthy menu items in casual dining restaurants are willing to revisit restaurants where healthy menu choices are available and to recommend the restaurants to others. Finally, this study generated socio-demographic profiles related to healthy eating behavior in casual dining restaurants and willingness to patronize a restaurant that provides healthy menu choices. The results revealed that education levels and BMI (Body Mass Index) status influenced customers' healthy eating behavior. Also, customers' willingness to patronize a restaurant that provides healthy menu items differed based on gender, marital status, and education levels. / Ph. D.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Since overweight and obesity reached pandemic proportions, the understanding of underlying causes became a complex research area. Within this context, the white adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ, producing adipokines. Investigations of adipokines, their molecular structure, physiological impact and pro- or anti-inflammatory functions are in focus of attention to identify their metabolic role in mediating obesity induced metabolic modifications. Therefore, this work analyzed whether 14 different adipokines correlate with diverse eating behavior types and individual BMI values and how this associations are possibly mediated by these eating behavior phenotypes. Therefore, 557 participants of the Sorbs and 3101 participants of LIFE Leipzig Adult completed the German version of the Three-Factor-Eating Questionnaire to assess the eating behavior types “restraint”, “disinhibition” and “hunger”. Serum levels of 14 adipokines, including adiponectin, adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (AFABP), angiopoietin-related growth factor (AGF), chemerin, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-19, FGF-21, FGF-23, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, interleukin (IL) 10, irisin, progranulin, vaspin, pro-neurotensin (pro-NT) and pro-enkephalin (PENK) were measured. Based on significant correlations between the following adipokines: PENK, pro-NT, adiponectin, FGF-19, FGF-21, IGF-1, chemerin, progranulin, AGF and AFABP with different eating behavior items and BMI, mediation analyses were constructed, including the eating behavior item as mediation variable. Here, positive associations between chemerin, AFABP or leptin and BMI in Sorbian women was mediated by higher restraint or disinhibited eating, respectively. Additionally, in Sorbian women, the negative relation between IGF-1 and BMI was mediated by higher disinhibition and the positive link between AGF and BMI by lower disinhibition. In Sorbian men, the negative relationship between PENK and BMI was mediated by lower disinhibition and hunger, whereas the negative relation between IGF-1 and BMI was mediated by higher hunger. In the LIFE-Adult women ́s cohort, associations between chemerin and BMI were mediated by decreased hunger or disinhibition, respectively, whereas relations between PENK and BMI were fully mediated by decreased disinhibition. In summary, this work provides evidence, that the adipokines PENK, IGF-1, chemerin, AGF, AFABP and leptin may impact the development of obesity by directly modifying individual eating behavior.

BACKGROUND: While parents have central influence on children’s eating behaviors, an increasing number of grandparents participate in child feeding. The manner in which grandparents approach feeding young children as well as how that role is negotiated with parents is unclear. The purpose of the study was to explore maternal perceptions of grandparents’ influence on preschool aged children’s snacking and parental authority in child feeding. METHODS: Participants were 55 ethnically-diverse, low-income mothers of preschool children, aged 3 to 5 years. A qualitative design was employed where semi-structured interviews were used to examine mothers’ schemas around child snacks and the context of snacking. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analyses used NVivo 10 to identify major themes using a grounded-theory approach. Participant demographics and household food security were assessed by self-report. RESULTS: Three major themes emerged regarding mothers' perceptions of grandparents. First, many mothers described supportive or positive aspects of grandparents’ involvement in child feeding: 1) building bonds with grandchildren, 2) providing healthy foods, and 3) setting limits. Second, at the same time mother believed grandparents often to be unsupportive partners in child feeding by: 1) offering “junk foods” and 2) being permissive regarding the types, frequency, and portion sizes of snacks offered to children. Third, mothers’ authority in feeding was challenged by grandparents’ approach to feeding children snacks when at odds with the mothers’ the mothers approach. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that grandparents may have important roles in family dynamics around feeding among low-income families with young children. / Urban Bioethics

Introduction: Children of Black immigrant parents living in the US are at elevated risk of being overweight or obese, thus increasing their risks of morbidity and mortality as they age. Parents play a crucial role in shaping their children's nutrition through their food parenting practices, defined as behaviors or actions that affect the child's dietary habits. Three aims guided this study: (1) To examine food parenting practices among a sample of Black immigrant mothers living in Metro Atlanta using a modified Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES); (2) To assess maternal knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, acculturation, and modeling in relation to food parenting practices among a sample of participants surveyed in Aim1 using focus groups; and (3) To refine the proposed Influences of Food Parenting Practices on BMI model (Model) using data collected in Aims 1 and 2. Methods: 103 Black immigrant mothers completed the CHES and 30 of them participated in four focus groups. Univariate, bivariate, and explanatory analysis was used for the survey data, and the qualitative data analysis was thematic. Results: Based on survey findings, mothers used structure the most in feeding their children, which directly influence mothers’ reports of their children’s dietary behavior and habits. Education, income, age of migration, mother’s concern for child’s weight, and child’s sex were significantly associated with the participants’ food parenting practices. Specifically, mothers with more income, more education, or who migrated before age 14 were more likely to have healthy food available and better meals routine. Focus group data analysis revealed seven major themes and six subthemes, where acculturation influenced mothers’ food parenting practices greatly. Since migrating to the US, some mothers’ nutrition changed in positive (e.g., eating more fruits) and negative ways (e.g., snacking more) because of schedules, cost, and access. Survey and focus group findings were instrumental in refining the Model by adding 5 new relationships to the proposed model. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a baseline for the food parenting practices of Black immigrant mothers in the US, and important factors (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, acculturation, and sociodemographic) that influence their children’s dietary behavior.