High perceived stress is associated with unfavorable eating behavior in overweight and obese Finns of working age

Abstract

b s t r a c tStress-related eating may be a potential factor in the obesity epidemic. Rather little is known about how stress associates with eating behavior and food intake in overweight individuals in a free-living situation. Thus, the present study aims to investigate this question in psychologically distressed overweight and obese working-aged Finns. The study is a cross-sectional baseline analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Of the 339 study participants, those with all the needed data available (n ¼ 297, 84% females) were included. The mean age was 48.9 y (SD ¼ 7.6) and mean body mass index 31.3 kg/m 2 (SD ¼ 3.0). Perceived stress and eating behavior were assessed by self-reported questionnaires Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Intuitive Eating Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Health and Taste Attitude Scales and ecSatter Inventory. Diet and alcohol consumption were assessed by 48-h dietary recall, Index of Diet Quality, and AUDIT-C. Individuals reporting most perceived stress (i.e. in the highest PSS tertile) had less intuitive eating, more uncontrolled eating, and more emotional eating compared to those reporting less perceived stress (p < 0.05). Moreover, individuals in the highest PSS tertile reported less cognitive restraint and less eating competence than those in the lowest tertile (p < 0.05). Intake of whole grain products was the lowest among those in the highest PSS tertile (p < 0.05). Otherwise the quality of diet and alcohol consumption did not differ among the PSS tertiles.In conclusion, high perceived stress was associated with the features of eating behavior that could in turn contribute to difficulties in weight management. Stress-related way of eating could thus form a potential risk factor for obesity. More research is needed to develop efficient methods for clinicians to assist in handling stress-related eating in the treatment of obese people.

Factors associated with healthy and unhealthy workplace eating behaviours in individuals with overweight/obesity with and without binge eating disorder

“…As hypothesized, stress in the workplace was related to eating both more food in general and more junk food specifically. Additionally, participants with low weight self‐efficacy were more likely to report eating in response to stress, which makes sense in light of past research showing that individuals with higher levels of stress or work‐related burnout tend to eat less intuitively and with less control . With respect to work performance, higher levels of self‐rated work impairment due to binge eating were also related to eating in response to stress.…”

Plasma lipid profile associates with the improvement of psychological well-being in individuals with perceived stress symptoms

“…Elixir study was a multi-centre lifestyle intervention aimed to enhance the psychological well-being of 339 individuals with overweight/obesity and self-reported stress symptoms 19 . In this study, higher perceived stress was associated with less physical activity 20 and unfavourable eating behaviours, such as higher dependency on emotional and rewarding properties of food rather than physiological hunger cues and less consumption of wholegrain products 21 . Conversely, study participants with higher physical activity recovered better from stress 22 .…”

Association Between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption as Meal Substitutes, Workload, and Obesity in Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping suggests that stress is associated with people's health behaviors that are influenced by how they appraise and cope with their stress [19]. Studies have linked occupational stress to increased likelihood of abnormal eating behaviors (e.g., emotional eating) [20][21][22] and greater intake of low-nutrient food (e.g., sweetened snacks) [23][24][25][26]. Time availability for food ingestion has also been linked to people's healthy eating behaviors [27][28][29] with time pressure contributing more to workers' decisions on food consumption compared to appetite [30].…”

“…Prior research work has suggested that occupational stress and time availability at work influence workers' eating behaviors [20][21][22][29][30][31]. This research has focused mainly on how stress or stressful events are related to unhealthy eating behaviors or intake of low-nutrient food, but it remains unclear to what extent occupational stressors (e.g., workload) may contribute to SSB consumption as meal substitutes during work.…”