Food addiction in Russian adolescents: Associations with age, sex, weight, and depression

Abstract

Objective Eating disorders are a cause of the recent obesity epidemic. Food addiction (FA) and factors associated with eating disorders have not been adequately studied in adolescents. Method The final study sample included 1,144 students. Study participants were asked to indicate their age, sex, and month of birth and fill out the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children and Zung Self‐Rating Depression Scale. Results Of the total number of adolescents studied, 4.5% had FA. It was found that an increased rate of FA diagnosis existed in adolescents with moderate‐to‐severe depression (P < 0.000), overweight and obese individuals (P < 0.002), girls (P < 0.038), and the 17‐ to 18‐year‐old age group (P < 0.007). Conclusion The data indicate that FA is positively associated with depression, obesity, age, and sex.

Food addiction and symptoms of depression among inhabitants of the European North of Russia: Associations with sleep characteristics and photoperiod

“…The secondary‐school students filled out paper questionnaires, and university students filled out the battery of tests online. The details of the surveys administered to schoolchildren and university students have been previously described (Borisenkov et al, , ).…”

“…The YFAS provides two scoring options, as follows: (a) the symptom count (SC), which is equal to the sum of confirmed symptoms (range, 0–7), and (b) a dichotomous measure of FA. The Russian translation of the instruments has previously been validated, as described in Borisenkov et al, (Borisenkov et al, , ).…”

“…Numerous studies have noted the close relationship between FA and depression (Borisenkov, Tserne, & Bakutova, ; Burmeister, Hinman, Koball, Hoffmann, & Carels, ; Burrows, Kay‐Lambkin, Pursey, Skinner, & Dayas, ; Meadows, Nolan, & Higgs, ). It has been shown that depression and FA are more common in women (Burrows et al, ; Levandovski et al, ), as well as in children and adolescents who are overweight or obese (Borisenkov et al, ). Similar age‐related dynamics have also been noted; a significant increase in the incidence of FA and depression in 17‐ to 18‐year‐olds has been observed (Alloy, Nusslock, & Boland, ; Borisenkov et al, ).…”

“…It has been shown that depression and FA are more common in women (Burrows et al, ; Levandovski et al, ), as well as in children and adolescents who are overweight or obese (Borisenkov et al, ). Similar age‐related dynamics have also been noted; a significant increase in the incidence of FA and depression in 17‐ to 18‐year‐olds has been observed (Alloy, Nusslock, & Boland, ; Borisenkov et al, ). It has also been suggested that the same mechanism mediates the development of these two disorders; individuals predisposed to FA (Volkow & Wise, ) and depression (Alloy et al, ) have an activated reward system.…”

Food addiction: A transdiagnostic construct of increasing interest

“…This instrument was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV‐TR) criteria for substance dependence and was adapted to the context of food consumption. Currently, a newer version (YFAS2.0; (Gearhardt, Corbin, & Brownell, ), based on DSM‐5 criteria, was translated/validated and used in different languages (Aloi et al, ; APA ; de Vries & Meule, ; Granero et al, ; Meule, Müller, Gearhardt, & Blechert, ; Nunes‐Neto et al, ; Schulte & Gearhardt, , ; Borisenkov, Tserne, & Bakutova, ; Magyar et al, ; Brunault et al, ).…”