Several researchers have indicated that the emphasis placed by young people on body shape and appearance has been greatly shaped by the media. The aim of this research was to investigate this notion specifically with regard to televised media. It was hypothesised that there would be a relationship between media images, eating attitudes and dietary behaviours, particularly for teenagers with body-image self-schemas who were conscious of their appearance. Nine hundred and sixty five senior secondary school students, from 33 country and metropolitan, state and independent, co-educational and single-sex South Australian high schools were surveyed. Fifty-six percent of the sample were adolescent girls and the average age of participants was 16.1 years. The questionnaire included sections on television usage, dieting behaviours, eating restraint and eating habits, as well as attitudes to foods, gender and appearance. Cluster analysis procedures indicated that it was possible to cluster television viewers into four distinct groups, "Telephiliacs", "Telephobics", "Modellers" and a "Relaxation/Information" group. These groups were classified according to television usage. Telephiliacs made the mose use of television, using it to gain information, for relaxation and entertainment and as a resource for body image and appearance standards; Modellers used it as a guide on which to model their appearance and behaviour; the Relaxation/Information group used it to relax and to gain information; and Telephobics did not watch much television and made the least use of it. The results of discriminant analyses confirmed that these cluster groups were different and that they could be distinguished by attitudes to appearance, dieting behaviours and foods consumed. The findings support the notion that the adolescent television audience is an active one and that television usage is dependent upon the needs of the individual. Television usage varied amongst adolescents and it was more likely to be used as a source of reference for body image standards by teenagers who were conscious of their appearance. These teenagers were also more likely to diet. Any outcomes related to television usage were accentuated if teenagers believed that television was "real". The findings suggest that television perpetuates an image of the thin body ideal and acts as a source of reference for adolescents with body-image self-schemas. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Department of Education, 1996.

The current research was developed from a review of the literature on the influence of parental control on children's eating and weight, and in particular the research examining parental restriction and poor self-regulation of energy. The impetus for the research was the confusion in the literature about the positive and negative aspects of control and the need to explore the influence of parental control at earlier periods of child development in socio economically diverse samples. The aim of the first study was to investigate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in an Australian sample of preschool children. Consistent with previous research, the factor structure was problematic with respect to the Restriction subscale. The two items that ask about the use of rewards showed poor cohesion with other items on the Restriction subscale, raising concerns about the conceptualisation of restriction as measured by the CFQ. The second study sought to determine whether currently available measures of restriction were appropriate for assessing parent behaviours with toddlers, and to explore the strategies that mothers use to control their toddlers' intake of energy-dense snack foods. A qualitative methodology was employed and interviews were conducted with 22 mothers who had toddlers aged between 18 and 24 months. A key finding was a lack of variability in responses to the CFQ Restriction subscale in contrast to the range of individual differences in parents' reported use of control. A thematic analysis provided the basis for the development of a questionnaire to quantify the key concepts that were identified. Exploratory factor analysis was then used to refine these concepts resulting in a five factor structure that has been named the Toddler Feeding Questionnaire (TFQ). The TFQ incorporates a broad range of measures of parental control over feeding, including how much parents allow access to energy-dense foods (Allow Access), the rules associated with managing intake of these foods (Rules), and flexibility in the way rules are applied (Flexibility). It also includes a measure of parental self-efficacy beliefs (Self-efficacy), which may influence the use of feeding practices, and a measure of toddlers' attraction to energy-dense foods (Child's Attraction), a characteristic of the child that may influence both parent feeding practices and energy intake. The factor structure was examined in a sample of mothers of toddlers, and replicated in a second sample of mothers of preschool children, who responded retrospectively about their feeding practices. Subsequent analyses were conducted to examine the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity of the TFQ factors to provide a preliminary validation of the instrument. To further examine the validity of the TFQ, feeding practices of normal weight, overweight and obese parents were compared. The relationship between the TFQ factors (based on retrospective reports) and BMI z scores in preschool children were also examined. In the preschool sample only, normal weight parents had significantly more rules compared to obese parents and were less flexible compared to overweight parents, and obese parents allowed their children more access to snack foods compared with overweight and normal weight parents. The TFQ factors were not associated with BMI z scores in preschool children. The final study investigated the association between feeding practices, including the TFQ factors and CFQ Restriction, and self-regulation of energy intake in toddlers. The main aim was to determine if the TFQ factor Allow Access would moderate the relationship between CFQ Restriction and ad libitum intake of snack foods, using an age appropriate adaptation of the Free Access Procedure developed by Fisher and Birch (1999a). The findings confirmed a moderating influence of Allow Access. Restriction was a significant predictor of intake only when Allow Access was high. The implications of this finding for the development of parental feeding advice and the conceptualisation of parental control are discussed. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1331550 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2008

This thesis aimed at developing and evaluating a tailored behavioural sleep medicine intervention for enhanced physical activity and healthy eating in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and overweight. Participants with moderate or severe OSAS (apnea-hypopnea index ≥15) and obesity (Studies I-II) or overweight (Studies III-IV), treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (Studies I-II) or admitted to CPAP treatment (Studies III-IV), were recruited from the sleep clinic at Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. Semi-structured individual interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis (Study I). Data on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time were collected with three measurement methods and analysed regarding the level of measurement agreement (Study II). Potential disease-related and psychological correlates for the amount of MVPA, daily steps and sedentary time were explored using multiple linear regression (Study III). Physical activity and eating behaviour changes were examined after a six month behaviour change trial (Study IV). A tailored behavioural sleep medicine intervention targeting physical activity and healthy eating in combination with first- time CPAP treatment was compared with CPAP treatment and advice on the association between weight and OSAS. According to participants’ conceptions, a strong incentive is needed for a change in physical activity and bodily symptoms, external circumstances and thoughts and feelings influence physical activity engagement (Study I). Compared with accelerometry, the participants overestimated the level of MVPA and underestimated sedentary time when using self-reports (Study II). The participants spent 11 hours 45 minutes (71.6% of waking hours) while sedentary. Fear of movement contributed to the variation in steps and sedentary time. Body mass index was positively correlated to MVPA (Study III). The experimental group increased intake of fruit and fish and reduced more weight and waist circumference compared with controls. There were no changes in physical activity (Study IV). The novel tailored behavioural sleep medicine intervention combined with first-time CPAP facilitated eating behaviour change, with subsequent effects on anthropometrics, but it had no effects on physical activity and sedentary time. Fear of movement may be a salient determinant of sedentary time, which has to be further explored in this population. The results confirm sedentary being a construct necessary to separate from the lower end of a physical activity continuum and highlight the need of developing interventions targeting sedentary behaviours specifically.

Bakgrund: Fetma är ett folkhälsoproblem som fortsätter att eskalera världen över. En betydande orsak till detta är den så kallade toxiska miljön vilken medför att människor ständigt exponeras för energität mat och dryck, vilket kan påverka ätbeteendet. Denna studie är viktig att genomföra då det saknas studier som undersöker människors egna upplevelser av miljöstimulis inverkan på ätbeteenden. Syfte: Att undersöka människors upplevelser av att exponeras för ett stort utbud av energirik mat och dryck, hur de upplever att denna exponering påverkar deras och andras ätbeteende samt vilka hälsosamma alternativ de upplever finns i deras närmiljö. Metod: Eftersom det som beskrivs i denna studie är upplevelser av miljöstimuli valdes en explorativ kvalitativ ansats. Som urvalsmetod användes variationsurval för att få en så stor variation som möjligt bland deltagarna. Som datainsamlingsmetod användes halvstrukturerade intervjuer. Analysmetoden i denna studie är innehållsanalys enligt Graneheim och Lundman (2004). Femton informanter deltog i denna studie. Resultat: Dataanalysen resulterade i nio kategorier samt ett övergripande tema; En kamp mellan externa miljöstimuli som styr ätbeteendet och en önskan om att ha kontroll över sitt eget ätbeteende. Kategorierna är; exponering, priser, lättillgänglighet, tidsbrist, synergi, seder, kognitiva faktorer, självkontroll och hälsosamma val. Samtliga informanter upplevde en ganska stark påverkan av externa miljöstimuli, både på andras och det egna ätbeteendet. Slutsats: Miljön underlättar för människor att göra ohälsosamma val då det både finns ett stort utbud av ohälsosamma alternativ och stimuli som påverkar folk att välja det ohälsosamma alternativet, medan utbudet för hälsosamma alternativ i miljön är begränsat. Ett av de viktigaste målen med folkhälsoarbete är således att öka kunskapsnivån hos människor i samhället, då ökad kunskap kan frambringa en ökad efterfrågan på hälsosamma produkter. Ett annat viktigt mål med folkhälsoarbete är att skapa hälsofrämjande miljöer, exempelvis via lagstiftning. Det framtida forskningsbehovet är att utvärdera interventioner som syftar till att påverka ätbeteenden. / Background: Obesity is a public health problem that keeps increasing worldwide. One key causal to this epidemic is the “toxic environment” which contributes to exposure to energy-dense food and high-caloric drinks that influence eating behaviour. This study is essential since there is a lack of studies focusing on people’s experiences regarding environmental influences on eating behaviour. Objective: To investigate people’s experiences regarding exposure to highly accessible, energy-dense food and high-caloric drinks, their experiences of environment’s influences on eating behaviour and their experiences of the ability to choose healthy options in their environment. Methods: Since experiences of environmental influences are described in this study, an explorative qualitative approach was chosen. To obtain maximum variation among the participants, the sampling design used is variation sampling. The data collection method used was semi-structured interviews. The method of analysis used in this study is content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman (2004). Fifteen informants participated in this study. Results: The data analysis resulted in nine categories and a main theme; A struggle between external influences controlling eating behaviour and the desire to control one’s own eating behaviour. The categories are; exposure, prices, accessibility, lack of time, synergy, customs, cognitive factors, self-control and healthy choices. All informants experienced a rather strong influence from external environmental influences, both on others’ and their own eating behaviour. Conclusion: Environment is making the unhealthy choice easier since there are plenty of unhealthy options that are highly accessible while other environmental influences are affecting people to make unhealthy choices. At the same time the accessibility of healthy choices in environment is limited. One important goal of public health work is to increase knowledge in society, since increased knowledge may raise the demand of healthier products. Another important goal with public health work is to create supportive environments, for example through legislation. Future research projects need to evaluate interventions that aim to influence eating behaviour.

Objectives: To investigate factors influencing consumption of traditional foods (e.g., wild game, fish) and concerns about environmental contaminants among schoolchildren of the Mushkegowuk Territory First Nations (Moose Factory, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat, and Peawanuck). Study Design: Cross-sectional data collection from a Web-based Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (WEB-Q). Methods: Schoolchildren in grades 6-12 (n = 262) responded to four of the WEB-Q questions: (1) Do you eat game? (2) How often do you eat game? (3) How concerned are you about the environmental contaminants in the wild game and fish that you eat? (4) I would eat more game if...[ six response options]. Data were collected from 2004-2009. Hierarchical log-linear modelling (LLM) was used for analyses of multi-way frequency data. Results: Of the school children answering the specific questions: 174 consumed game; 95 reported concerns about contaminants in game; and 84 would increase their game consumption if it were more available in their homes. LLM revealed significant differences between communities; schoolchildren in Moose Factory consumed game ???rarely or never??? at greater than expected frequency, and fewer than expected consumed game ???at least once a day.??? Schoolchildren in Kashechewan had greater frequency of daily game consumption and few were concerned about contaminants in game. Using LLM, we found that sex was an insignificant variable and did not affect game consumption frequency or environmental contaminant concern. Conclusion: The decreasing importance of the traditional diet was most evident in Moose Factory, possibly due to its more southerly location relative to the other First Nations examined.

Several researchers have indicated that the emphasis placed by young people on body shape and appearance has been greatly shaped by the media. The aim of this research was to investigate this notion specifically with regard to televised media. It was hypothesised that there would be a relationship between media images, eating attitudes and dietary behaviours, particularly for teenagers with body-image self-schemas who were conscious of their appearance. Nine hundred and sixty five senior secondary school students, from 33 country and metropolitan, state and independent, co-educational and single-sex South Australian high schools were surveyed. Fifty-six percent of the sample were adolescent girls and the average age of participants was 16.1 years. The questionnaire included sections on television usage, dieting behaviours, eating restraint and eating habits, as well as attitudes to foods, gender and appearance. Cluster analysis procedures indicated that it was possible to cluster television viewers into four distinct groups, "Telephiliacs", "Telephobics", "Modellers" and a "Relaxation/Information" group. These groups were classified according to television usage. Telephiliacs made the mose use of television, using it to gain information, for relaxation and entertainment and as a resource for body image and appearance standards; Modellers used it as a guide on which to model their appearance and behaviour; the Relaxation/Information group used it to relax and to gain information; and Telephobics did not watch much television and made the least use of it. The results of discriminant analyses confirmed that these cluster groups were different and that they could be distinguished by attitudes to appearance, dieting behaviours and foods consumed. The findings support the notion that the adolescent television audience is an active one and that television usage is dependent upon the needs of the individual. Television usage varied amongst adolescents and it was more likely to be used as a source of reference for body image standards by teenagers who were conscious of their appearance. These teenagers were also more likely to diet. Any outcomes related to television usage were accentuated if teenagers believed that television was "real". The findings suggest that television perpetuates an image of the thin body ideal and acts as a source of reference for adolescents with body-image self-schemas. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Department of Education, 1996.

[Truncated abstract] Obesity is rapidly increasing in prevalence and has significant physical and mental health implications. Stress, a general term referring to factors indicative of psychological strain such as depression and anxiety, has been identified as both a cause and consequence of weight gain and obesity in some individuals. In previous research, overeating in response to stress has been investigated as either a means of mood regulation or as a response to strict dietary restraint. Cortisol, a steroid hormone that increases in response to stress, has also been linked with increased food intake in both animal and human studies. Thus, cortisol may be an additional factor contributing to overeating and weight gain in response to stress. If stress does lead to overeating and weight gain, it is also likely that stress will inhibit attempts made by obese individuals at weight loss. The first study of this thesis was a repeated measures treatment study in which the associations of stress and cortisol levels with baseline body mass index and subsequent weight loss were investigated among females participating in a cognitive behavioural weight management programme. A cross-sectional analysis prior to treatment commencement showed that the association of stress and depression with body mass index was moderated by the severity of obesity. Dichotomous thinking, a cognitive style in which events are viewed in polarised 'black and white' terms, mediated the associations of both depression and eating disorder symptomatology with BMI. ... The second study of this thesis was a controlled laboratory-based examination of food intake following an acute psychological stressor. It was hypothesised that high baseline levels of psychological stress, such as depression and anxiety, would be associated with greater increases in negative mood and cortisol levels in response to the acute stressor, both of which, in turn, would be associated with greater food intake. Contrary to the hypothesis, baseline levels of psychological stress were not associated with the extent to which negative mood and cortisol levels increased following the acute stressor. The extent to which negative mood, but not cortisol, increased following acute stress was significantly positively associated with food intake. The results do not support the hypothesis that high cortisol levels are predictive of increased food intake in human females, although the results may have been affected by the broad participant inclusion criteria. The results suggest that increases in negative mood lead to increases in food intake, although it is argued that this is unlikely to be a general effect and suggestions for future research are made. The overall aim of this research was to examine whether stress and cortisol were associated with weight status, acute changes in eating behaviour and changes in weight in the medium-term. The results are discussed in relation to this aim, wth particular focus on the differences between treatment-seeking and community samples, implications for the treatment of obesity (especially when the individual is also experiencing high levels of depression), prevention of weight gain and possible future studies of the effects of stress and depression on weight change and eating behaviour.

The World Health Organisation ([WHO], 2007) declared obesity as the public health threat of the 21st century. Currently, the Maltese adult population ranks as the heaviest in the Euro‐Mediterranean region. In response to a gap in Maltese research on the area of obesity and food consumption, this PhD aimed to gather local data to unearth behavioural‐psychological factors that could be implemented in local interventions. The focus of the PhD was narrowed to women with families based on literature that has identified motherhood as a salient point of transition that amplifies the weight trajectories for adult women. A mixed‐methods approach guided the methodology of the PhD programme with four studies carried out sequentially in two phases. The findings of the qualitative phase revealed that weight management for Maltese mothers was enmeshed with gender norm expectations surrounding motherhood. For mothers with a higher BMI, their relationship to food was a significant barrier to weight loss maintenance. Mothers with a lower BMI or who maintained their weight pointed at their food planning ability to manage their diet. The quantitative phase extended literature on the dimensional validity of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) (Van Strien et al., 1986) by reproducing its factor structure and ascertaining its reliability among Maltese women. This was the first validation of an eating behaviours assessment tool in Maltese and the first validation of the DEBQ in a Semitic language. Finally, Structured Equation Modelling revealed how food planning could act as a mediator to restrained and external eating styles to increase fruit and vegetable snacking and decrease high calorie snacking. In addition to the implications to theory, it is believed that these findings have worthy practical implications through tailored eating behaviour interventions, by targeting food planning to counterbalance the impact of external eating among Maltese mothers.

Ces travaux de thèse avaient pour but de formuler, de caractériser et de valider un pain élaboré à partir de farines sélectionnées pour améliorer son pouvoir satiétogène. Fort est de constater que depuis plusieurs décennies, la prévalence du surpoids et de l’obésité est croissante. Les risques liés à l’obésité ont un impact sur l’espérance de vie qui stagne dans certains pays développés. Pour lutter contre cette pandémie, la consommation de fibres alimentaires semblerait avoir un effet positif sur la diminution de la sensation de faim, sur la diminution des prises caloriques ainsi que sur la diminution du poids chez des personnes obèses. Ainsi, ce travail de thèse a d’abord consisté à formuler deux pains expérimentaux enrichis en fibres : un pain typé « pain complet » (PF1) et un pain typé « pain aux céréales ». (PF2) Afin de valider les effets de ces pains sur l’organisme, deux types d’études ont été menés : des études à court terme et des études à long terme. Deux études ont été réalisées à court terme. La première étude a montré que le pain le plus enrichi en fibres était considéré comme plus rassasiant qu’un pain de mie blanc, et les participants diminuaient les quantités consommées pour ce type de pain. La deuxième étude a montré que la réapparition de la faim était plus lente pour le pain le plus riche en fibres. Enfin, une étude à long terme menée auprès de participants normopondéraux consistait à proposer une quantité fixe et importante des pains PF1 et PF2 au petit-déjeuner. Au bout de 15 jours d’exposition, les participants déclaraient avoir moins faim suite à la consommation de ces pains enrichis en fibres. De plus, pour le pain PF1, les participants diminuaient leur prise calorique comparativement à une situation contrôle. Au final, l’ensemble de ces études a permis de cibler un pain expérimental et un paradigme à suivre pour une étude menée auprès de participants en surpoids et obèses dans le cadre d’un régime amaigrissant, pour améliorer le bien-être lié au vécu de ce régime. / This PhD project was aimed at the formulation, the characterization and the validation of one bread, processed from flour selected to increase the satiety effects on humans. For the last several decades, the prevalence of overweight and obesity around the world has been increasing. The risks of obesity are responsible for a stagnation of life expectancy in some industrialized countries. In order to stop this pandemic phenomenon, dietary fibre appears to have beneficial effects on the decrease in feeling hunger, caloric intake and body weight of obese participants. The first goal of this work was to process two fibre-enriched breads: one of them was a “whole grain” bread (PF1), and the second one a “multigrain bread” (PF2). In order to validate the effects of these two breads on human metabolism, two experimental design studies have been led: short term studies, and long term studies. Two short-term studies have been led. The first study evidenced that the most fibre-enriched bread was expected to be more satiating than a white bread, and thus, participants reduced the weight of this bread eaten. The second experiment showed that hunger sensation reappeared more slowly for the most fibre-enriched bread. Finally, a long term study was conducted on average weight participants, aimed at serving a fixed and important weight of the PF1 and PF2 breads during breakfast. After two weeks of exposure to these fibre-enriched breads, participants felt less hungry. Furthermore, for the PF1 bread, participants also decreased their caloric intake in comparison to a controlled condition. In conclusion, all of these studies permitted to target one experimental bread and a paradigm to be followed, in order to lead a study examining overweight or obese participants during a weight-loss diet, with the aim of increasing the well-being experienced from the diet.

To understand obesity as a global epidemic, it is essential to understand why individuals become and remain overweight or obese. Body weight, and correspondingly being overweight or obese, is a result of one’s genetics and energy balance. Food and beverages bring energy to the body. However, their intake occurs as a result of a variety of interacting factors, e.g. physiological, cultural, genetic, social, and behavioural ones. One aspect of eating behaviour research is to identify underlying psychological aspects of individuals’ daily food intake. In laboratory experiments, researchers have aimed to identify differences in eating behaviour between normal-weight and overweight subjects. A result of those experiments was the Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ), a widely used instrument looking at three primary aspects of eating behaviour: ‘cognitive restrained’, ‘disinhibition’, and ‘hunger’. However, psychometric analysis of the German version of the TFEQ was based on two convenient clinical samples from 1989 and on one representative sample of younger subjects from 1990. Hence, one aim of the empirical studies within this dissertation was to provide an updated psychometric analysis of the German version of the TFEQ for a non-clinical setting in Germany. We also aimed to conduct associated analyses between the domains of the TFEQ and the BMI as the most important risk factor for common civilisation diseases. Overall, database was a large study sample from the baseline survey of the population based cohort Leipzig LIFE-Adult study. The first study provided age- and gender-specific norms for the three TFEQ domains. Percentile ranks and T-scores for the four age groups 40-49 years, 50-59 years, 60-60 years, 70-79 years and for both men and women were published. Additionally, the study identified craving for sweets as the most common problem in eating behaviour. The published norms for the original 59-item German version of the TFEQ can be applied in clinical and non-clinical settings. Furthermore, additional information about common problems in eating behaviour might help identify general key points related to body weight modulation. The second study analysed the factor structure of the TFEQ using both confirmatory and explorative factor analysis. Importantly, the original TFEQ factor structure was not replicated. A refined 29-item version contained three domains: ‘uncontrolled eating’ (15 items), ‘restrained eating’ (11 items), and ‘emotional eating’ (three items). The identified underlying aspects of eating behaviour are consistent with those of other studies and suggest their evidence. The highest mean BMI was found in subjects scoring high in both uncontrolled eating and emotional eating. The analysis thus confirms previous findings of the direct association between the uncontrolled eating domain and the BMI and between the emotional eating domain and the BMI. Again, this information might help identifying individual’s key problems in the challenge of maintain or lose body weight. Interestingly, in our analysis, the lowest mean BMI was found in subjects who scored low in all three of the TFEQ domains. We thus suggest that lowering the values of the three aspects of eating behaviour might be a promising approach in weight reduction programmes. Regarding the impact of eating behaviour to the BMI, social disparities might play an important role. Thus, in our third study, we hypothesized that psychological aspects of eating behaviour might mediate the indirect association between the socio-economic status and BMI. However, our analysis revealed only weak evidence for this triangular association. Therefore, we suggest that psychological factors may be less involved in this association than other types of factors (such as financial resources). In sum, understanding why individuals become and remain overweight or obese is of utmost importance, as the social and economic burden of excess weight is high. Psychological aspects of eating behaviour might partly explain individuals being overweight or obese. The studies within this dissertation revealed that the widely used TFEQ helps to identify subjects with a specific pattern of eating behaviour associated with higher BMI values, but might not explain social disparities in body weight. However, eating behaviour comprises a stable, long-term pattern of daily food intake. Therefore, research into eating behaviour offers the chance to identify fundamental aspects of body weight modulation.