Pub Date : 2025-11-20DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108393
Emily Giddens , Trevor Steward , Tamara Escrivá-Martínez , Marta Rodríguez-Arias , Antonio Verdejo-García
Overconsumption of alcohol and energy-dense, palatable foods commonly co-occur, and are both characterised by overlapping impairments in reward circuitry function. Elevated consumption of energy-dense foods may increase risk of alcohol binging through sensitising brain responsivity to alcohol rewards, thereby increasing the motivating effects of alcohol consumption. However, the acute effects of dietary intake on brain responses to alcohol in humans remains unclear. Therefore, the current study aimed to understand how intake of energy-dense foods may prime proximate brain responses to alcohol rewards. Thirty-four healthy adults completed a single test session where they were randomly allocated to receive either a high energy (N = 18) or lower energy (N = 16) breakfast prior to completing the Beer Incentive Delay (BID) task, which measures blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to the anticipation, outcome notification, and consumption of beer rewards. The BID elicited hypothesized activation within reward networks during the anticipation and receipt of beer compared to the control beverage. However, no group activation differences were found. Self-report levels of saturated-fat intake were associated with attenuated putamen response during outcome notification of beer rewards in both groups. Behaviourally, high energy breakfast consumption was associated with faster responding to beer rewards. These findings suggest the intake of high fat foods may be linked to acute alterations in alcohol sensitivity, highlighting a potential mechanism explaining elevated risk of elevated alcohol consumption in those who regularly consume palatable, energy-dense foods.
{"title":"The impact of energy-dense food consumption on brain responses to alcohol rewards","authors":"Emily Giddens , Trevor Steward , Tamara Escrivá-Martínez , Marta Rodríguez-Arias , Antonio Verdejo-García","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Overconsumption of alcohol and energy-dense, palatable foods commonly co-occur, and are both characterised by overlapping impairments in reward circuitry function. Elevated consumption of energy-dense foods may increase risk of alcohol binging through sensitising brain responsivity to alcohol rewards, thereby increasing the motivating effects of alcohol consumption. However, the acute effects of dietary intake on brain responses to alcohol in humans remains unclear. Therefore, the current study aimed to understand how intake of energy-dense foods may prime proximate brain responses to alcohol rewards. Thirty-four healthy adults completed a single test session where they were randomly allocated to receive either a high energy (<em>N</em> = 18) or lower energy (<em>N</em> = 16) breakfast prior to completing the Beer Incentive Delay (BID) task, which measures blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response to the anticipation, outcome notification, and consumption of beer rewards. The BID elicited hypothesized activation within reward networks during the anticipation and receipt of beer compared to the control beverage. However, no group activation differences were found. Self-report levels of saturated-fat intake were associated with attenuated putamen response during outcome notification of beer rewards in both groups. Behaviourally, high energy breakfast consumption was associated with faster responding to beer rewards. These findings suggest the intake of high fat foods may be linked to acute alterations in alcohol sensitivity, highlighting a potential mechanism explaining elevated risk of elevated alcohol consumption in those who regularly consume palatable, energy-dense foods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108393"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145581531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-20DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108390
Thomas D. Sambrook , Andy J. Wills , Ben Hardwick , Jeremy Goslin
Eating in the absence of hunger represents a failure of homeostatic mechanisms responsible for energy balance and is a cause of obesity. The pervasive presence of food cues in the modern environment may play a role in this phenomenon. The present study used the technique of satiety-specific selective devaluation to investigate eating in the absence of hunger in the context of a reinforcement learning task. While participants’ performance on the task suggested that food on which they had sated no longer held value for them, event related potentials following images of the food were unaffected by the devaluation. Food cues may thus serve as an entry point for over-eating in otherwise healthy individuals.
{"title":"Devaluation insensitivity of event related potentials associated with food cues","authors":"Thomas D. Sambrook , Andy J. Wills , Ben Hardwick , Jeremy Goslin","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Eating in the absence of hunger represents a failure of homeostatic mechanisms responsible for energy balance and is a cause of obesity. The pervasive presence of food cues in the modern environment may play a role in this phenomenon. The present study used the technique of satiety-specific selective devaluation to investigate eating in the absence of hunger in the context of a reinforcement learning task. While participants’ performance on the task suggested that food on which they had sated no longer held value for them, event related potentials following images of the food were unaffected by the devaluation. Food cues may thus serve as an entry point for over-eating in otherwise healthy individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108390"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145581525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108385
Samantha Marsh , Helen Eyles , Leanne Young , Varsha Parag , Joanna Ting Wai Chu , Jessica McCormack
Background
Appetite self-regulation is the process by which we stop eating when we are no longer hungry and is a resilience-informed approach to promoting a healthy bodyweight.
Objective
To develop and investigate the acceptability and preliminarily short-term effectiveness of ‘Feeding with HEART’, a parent communication tool designed to reduce parental persuasive feeding behaviours, which are associated with developing appetite self-regulation in children aged 3–6 years, using value-based messaging, storytelling, and metaphor.
Methods
A 2-arm, 1-month pilot randomized controlled trial was undertaken to assess the communication tool. Parents of children aged 3–6 years were randomized to either the intervention group or the usual care group, and underwent study measures at baseline and 1-month follow-up. The Persuasive Feeding sub-scale of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire was the primary endpoint.
Results
Overall, 94 participants were randomized to either the intervention (n = 48) or usual care (n = 46) groups. In the Intention-To-Treat (ITT) analysis (n = 94), the between-group difference in the change from baseline in persuasive feeding behaviors, as assessed by the Persuasive Feeding sub-scale score of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire, improved to a greater extent in the intervention versus usual group (0.22 [SE 0.09]; p < 0.013). Participant feedback was positive, with parents responding particularly favorably to the use of the story which encouraged the caregiver to take their child's point of view and mealtimes.
Conclusions
The ‘Feeding with Heart’ demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in reducing persuasive feeding practices in parents of children aged 3–6 years old when compared with the current standard of care in New Zealand.
{"title":"Storytelling TO promote appetite self-Regulation in Young children (STORY): results of a pilot study to reduce parental persuasive feeding behaviours","authors":"Samantha Marsh , Helen Eyles , Leanne Young , Varsha Parag , Joanna Ting Wai Chu , Jessica McCormack","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Appetite self-regulation is the process by which we stop eating when we are no longer hungry and is a resilience-informed approach to promoting a healthy bodyweight.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To develop and investigate the acceptability and preliminarily short-term effectiveness of ‘Feeding with HEART’, a parent communication tool designed to reduce parental persuasive feeding behaviours, which are associated with developing appetite self-regulation in children aged 3–6 years, using value-based messaging, storytelling, and metaphor.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A 2-arm, 1-month pilot randomized controlled trial was undertaken to assess the communication tool. Parents of children aged 3–6 years were randomized to either the intervention group or the usual care group, and underwent study measures at baseline and 1-month follow-up. The Persuasive Feeding sub-scale of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire was the primary endpoint.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Overall, 94 participants were randomized to either the intervention (n = 48) or usual care (n = 46) groups. In the Intention-To-Treat (ITT) analysis (n = 94), the between-group difference in the change from baseline in persuasive feeding behaviors, as assessed by the Persuasive Feeding sub-scale score of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire, improved to a greater extent in the intervention versus usual group (0.22 [SE 0.09]; p < 0.013). Participant feedback was positive, with parents responding particularly favorably to the use of the story which encouraged the caregiver to take their child's point of view and mealtimes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The ‘Feeding with Heart’ demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in reducing persuasive feeding practices in parents of children aged 3–6 years old when compared with the current standard of care in New Zealand.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108385"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145562023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108386
Kai Ting Mok , Abdul Razak Nurliyana , Satvinder Kaur , Wan Ying Gan , See Ling Loy
Appetitive traits developed in infancy may influence dietary habits in later childhood. The impact of maternal eating behaviours (MEBs) and feeding practices remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the associations between MEBs, feeding practices, and appetitive traits of infants aged 1–6 months in Malaysia. A total of 256 mother-infant pairs were recruited from six government maternal and child health clinics in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires: the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) to assess MEBs (emotional, external, and restrained eating); the Baby's Basic Needs Questionnaire (BBNQ) to evaluate feeding practices (feeding modes and feeding-to-soothe (FTS)); and the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (BEBQ) to measure infants' appetitive traits (food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and general appetite). The mothers' mean age was 32.31 ± 4.45 years, and the infants' mean age was 3.73 ± 1.67 months. Food responsiveness of formula-fed infants (14.33 ± 4.82) was significantly lower than breastfed (17.99 ± 5.33). Restrained eating was significantly associated with higher satiety responsiveness (B = 0.206, 95 % CI = 0.022–0.099), and FTS was linked to increased food responsiveness (B = 0.334, 95 % CI = 0.116–0.241). These findings highlighted the associations between MEBs and FTS with infant appetitive traits. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify these relationships and their long-term implications.
婴儿时期形成的食欲特征可能影响儿童后期的饮食习惯。产妇饮食行为(meb)和喂养方式的影响尚不清楚。本横断面研究检查了马来西亚1-6个月婴儿meb、喂养方法和食欲特征之间的关系。从吉隆坡和布城的六个政府妇幼保健诊所共招募了256对母婴。数据通过自我管理问卷收集:荷兰饮食行为问卷(DEBQ)评估meb(情绪性、外源性和克制性饮食);婴儿基本需求问卷(BBNQ),用于评估喂养方式(喂养方式和喂养安抚(FTS));以及婴儿饮食行为问卷(BEBQ)来测量婴儿的食欲特征(食物反应、食物享受、饱腹反应、进食缓慢和总体食欲)。母亲平均年龄32.31±4.45岁,婴儿平均年龄3.73±1.67个月。配方奶喂养婴儿的食物反应性(14.33±4.82)明显低于母乳喂养婴儿(17.99±5.33)。克制进食与高饱腹感反应显著相关(B = 0.206, 95% CI = 0.022-0.099), FTS与食物反应性增加相关(B = 0.334, 95% CI = 0.116-0.241)。这些发现强调了meb和FTS与婴儿食欲特征之间的联系。需要进行纵向研究来澄清这些关系及其长期影响。
{"title":"Associations between maternal eating behaviours, feeding practices, and infant appetitive traits in Malaysia","authors":"Kai Ting Mok , Abdul Razak Nurliyana , Satvinder Kaur , Wan Ying Gan , See Ling Loy","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Appetitive traits developed in infancy may influence dietary habits in later childhood. The impact of maternal eating behaviours (MEBs) and feeding practices remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the associations between MEBs, feeding practices, and appetitive traits of infants aged 1–6 months in Malaysia. A total of 256 mother-infant pairs were recruited from six government maternal and child health clinics in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires: the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) to assess MEBs (emotional, external, and restrained eating); the Baby's Basic Needs Questionnaire (BBNQ) to evaluate feeding practices (feeding modes and feeding-to-soothe (FTS)); and the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (BEBQ) to measure infants' appetitive traits (food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and general appetite). The mothers' mean age was 32.31 ± 4.45 years, and the infants' mean age was 3.73 ± 1.67 months. Food responsiveness of formula-fed infants (14.33 ± 4.82) was significantly lower than breastfed (17.99 ± 5.33). Restrained eating was significantly associated with higher satiety responsiveness (B = 0.206, 95 % CI = 0.022–0.099), and FTS was linked to increased food responsiveness (B = 0.334, 95 % CI = 0.116–0.241). These findings highlighted the associations between MEBs and FTS with infant appetitive traits. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify these relationships and their long-term implications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108386"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145555800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adolescents are increasingly moving away from the Mediterranean Diet (MD), raising concerns for their long-term health. Since adolescence is crucial for shaping eating habits, school-based interventions offer an opportunity to promote healthier choices. Nutrition and sensory education can influence food attitudes and behaviors, but their combined effects are not well understood. This study tested school-based nutrition and sensory education programs, alone or combined, with daily exposure to a healthy, unfamiliar snack, on Italian adolescents’ food knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. A total of 197 students (aged 14–17) were assigned to one of four groups: Control, Nutrition, Sensory, or Nutrition and Sensory. Over four weeks, participants received targeted lessons and were offered a healthy snack each day. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and at a two-month follow-up. Key outcomes included nutritional knowledge, adherence to the MD (KIDMED), food neophobia, picky eating, food choices, and acceptance of healthy snacks. Nutrition education improved nutritional knowledge and the ability to identify MD foods, with partial retention at follow-up. However, daily dietary habits showed little changes. Sensory education increased snack consumption and willingness to try unfamiliar foods. No significant changes were observed in food neophobia or picky eating. These findings highlight the value of integrating diverse, experience-based strategies into school settings to support the development of food knowledge and healthier food choices in adolescence.
{"title":"Effect of nutrition, sensory education and healthy food exposure interventions on adolescent food habits and attitudes","authors":"Lara Fontana , Perla Degli Innocenti , Cinzia Franchini , Leonardo Menghi , Beatrice Biasini , Alice Rosi , Luana Bontempo , Francesca Scazzina , Isabella Endrizzi , Flavia Gasperi","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108388","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108388","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adolescents are increasingly moving away from the Mediterranean Diet (MD), raising concerns for their long-term health. Since adolescence is crucial for shaping eating habits, school-based interventions offer an opportunity to promote healthier choices. Nutrition and sensory education can influence food attitudes and behaviors, but their combined effects are not well understood. This study tested school-based nutrition and sensory education programs, alone or combined, with daily exposure to a healthy, unfamiliar snack, on Italian adolescents’ food knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. A total of 197 students (aged 14–17) were assigned to one of four groups: Control, Nutrition, Sensory, or Nutrition and Sensory. Over four weeks, participants received targeted lessons and were offered a healthy snack each day. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and at a two-month follow-up. Key outcomes included nutritional knowledge, adherence to the MD (KIDMED), food neophobia, picky eating, food choices, and acceptance of healthy snacks. Nutrition education improved nutritional knowledge and the ability to identify MD foods, with partial retention at follow-up. However, daily dietary habits showed little changes. Sensory education increased snack consumption and willingness to try unfamiliar foods. No significant changes were observed in food neophobia or picky eating. These findings highlight the value of integrating diverse, experience-based strategies into school settings to support the development of food knowledge and healthier food choices in adolescence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108388"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145555871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108387
Sujan Dhungel , Ammar Abdul Aziz , Uttam Khanal , Rajendra Adhikari
With rising household incomes and increasing health awareness, consumers are exhibiting a growing preference for quality food with safety attributes. However, the extent to which consumers value food safety and quality attributes and how relevant information influences their purchasing behaviour has not been widely evaluated, particularly in developing countries such as Nepal. This study aims to analyse the preferences, willingness to pay and relative importance of various safety and quality attributes for making choice decisions among Nepalese milk consumers. This study employed a discrete choice experiment, which involved 401 participants in Kathmandu. A multinomial logit model, random parameter logit model and latent class model were utilised to examine preference heterogeneity, focusing on five key attributes: place of production, good manufacturing practices labelling, fat content, packaging material and price. The results indicated that all five attributes were significant in informing participants' purchase decisions. Consumers demonstrated a marked preference for good manufacturing practices labelled milk, with a willingness to pay a 42.78 % premium relative to conventional milk. Additionally, consumers expressed a positive valuation for domestically produced milk and milk packaged in plastic jars. We identified two distinct consumer segments, "Food safety-conscious consumers" and "Budget-conscious consumers". This study provides strong empirical evidence of the evolving preferences of Nepalese milk consumers towards food safety and quality attributes. In response to these evolving consumer demands, policymakers and dairy industry stakeholders should prioritise the production of milk that is safe, high in quality, and securely packaged, while also ensuring transparent and credible communication to build consumer trust.
{"title":"Consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for safety and quality attributes in milk: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment","authors":"Sujan Dhungel , Ammar Abdul Aziz , Uttam Khanal , Rajendra Adhikari","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108387","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108387","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With rising household incomes and increasing health awareness, consumers are exhibiting a growing preference for quality food with safety attributes. However, the extent to which consumers value food safety and quality attributes and how relevant information influences their purchasing behaviour has not been widely evaluated, particularly in developing countries such as Nepal. This study aims to analyse the preferences, willingness to pay and relative importance of various safety and quality attributes for making choice decisions among Nepalese milk consumers. This study employed a discrete choice experiment, which involved 401 participants in Kathmandu. A multinomial logit model, random parameter logit model and latent class model were utilised to examine preference heterogeneity, focusing on five key attributes: place of production, good manufacturing practices labelling, fat content, packaging material and price. The results indicated that all five attributes were significant in informing participants' purchase decisions. Consumers demonstrated a marked preference for good manufacturing practices labelled milk, with a willingness to pay a 42.78 % premium relative to conventional milk. Additionally, consumers expressed a positive valuation for domestically produced milk and milk packaged in plastic jars. We identified two distinct consumer segments, \"Food safety-conscious consumers\" and \"Budget-conscious consumers\". This study provides strong empirical evidence of the evolving preferences of Nepalese milk consumers towards food safety and quality attributes. In response to these evolving consumer demands, policymakers and dairy industry stakeholders should prioritise the production of milk that is safe, high in quality, and securely packaged, while also ensuring transparent and credible communication to build consumer trust.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108387"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145555802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108384
David J. Bridgett , Sheryl O. Hughes , Matthew Broussard , Daniela McCourt , Christina M. Croce , Jennifer O. Fisher
Appetite self-regulation (ASR) among children is thought to have a fundamental role in shaping the development of healthy eating behaviors, dietary intake, and growth during childhood. Parallel to developmental frameworks for understanding “general” self-regulation among children, ASR has been described as involving children's use of “top-down” cognitive processes to moderate “bottom-up” biological drives around food approach and avoidance in the interest of achieving desired eating behaviors or outcomes. Whereas bottom-up ASR processes during early childhood are well characterized, particularly in the context of dysregulation and obesity risk, the role of top-down ASR processes in the development of healthy eating behaviors is virtually unstudied. The purpose of this narrative review is to bring together diverse research literatures in developmental psychology, food parenting, and ingestive behavior to articulate a role for top-down ASR in the development of healthy eating behaviors in early childhood and highlight putative socialization influences. We draw from a large literature on executive functioning in children to articulate how top-down ASR may be recruited in the service of achieving desired eating outcomes and draw from the developmental literature to highlight the potential avenues of socialization for top-down ASR processes.
{"title":"The role of top-down appetite self-regulation in the development of healthy eating behaviors among children: a narrative review and socialization framework","authors":"David J. Bridgett , Sheryl O. Hughes , Matthew Broussard , Daniela McCourt , Christina M. Croce , Jennifer O. Fisher","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108384","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108384","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Appetite self-regulation (ASR) among children is thought to have a fundamental role in shaping the development of healthy eating behaviors, dietary intake, and growth during childhood. Parallel to developmental frameworks for understanding “general” self-regulation among children, ASR has been described as involving children's use of “top-down” cognitive processes to moderate “bottom-up” biological drives around food approach and avoidance in the interest of achieving desired eating behaviors or outcomes. Whereas bottom-up ASR processes during early childhood are well characterized, particularly in the context of dysregulation and obesity risk, the role of top-down ASR processes in the development of healthy eating behaviors is virtually unstudied. The purpose of this narrative review is to bring together diverse research literatures in developmental psychology, food parenting, and ingestive behavior to articulate a role for top-down ASR in the development of healthy eating behaviors in early childhood and highlight putative socialization influences. We draw from a large literature on executive functioning in children to articulate how top-down ASR may be recruited in the service of achieving desired eating outcomes and draw from the developmental literature to highlight the potential avenues of socialization for top-down ASR processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108384"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145533866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108382
Aishwarya Padmanabhan , Simon Stankoski , Filip Panchevski , Rhiannon M. Armitage , Sophia Cox , Claire Baert , Borjan Sazdov , Mia Darkovska , Ivana Kiprijanovska , Mohsen Fatoorechi , Bojan Sofronievski , Elena Indovska , Angela Nikodinovska , Stefani Kulebanova , Andrew Cleal , Martin Gjoreski , Tatum Sevenoaks , Charles Nduka , Hristijan Gjoreski , Martin R. Yeomans
We investigated the potential of OCOsense™ smart glasses to monitor eating and support behaviour change in everyday life. Twenty-three volunteers (14 women, 7 men and 2 non-binary individuals) wore the glasses for 7 h/day, at least five days/week for three weeks. To establish a baseline, in week one, participants wore the glasses with minimal intervention; in week two, they annotated each eating event and photographed their food to evaluate detection accuracy. In week three, participants responded to real-time notifications confirming whether eating was occurring when sensed by the glasses, and received haptic feedback (i.e., glasses vibration) prompting them to either chew more slowly, chew more per mouthful or take longer pauses between bites. Based on sensed chewing, the glasses algorithm detected 476/498 eating events logged in week two (F1-score 0.89), and 528/548 real-time events in week three (F1-score 0.91). To assess food detection accuracy, 598 images (1036 items) were analysed by an algorithm and compared to manual inspection. The algorithm correctly identified 919/1036 items. Compared to baseline, those aiming to change their behaviour: 1) reduced chewing rate (1.63–1.57 chews/sec), while others increased slightly (1.70–1.73); 2) increased chews per bite (22.0–22.8), which declined in others (22.8–19.5); and 3) lengthened breaks between bite (4.69–5.33 s), while others shortened theirs (5.16–4.85 s). Overall, this study demonstrates that OCOsense glasses can detect when and what people eat in everyday life and that feedback delivered by the glasses has the potential to support behaviour change.
{"title":"Validating OCOsense smart glasses in a three-week home-based study: Assessing detection of eating, food identification and the use of haptic feedback to aid behaviour modification","authors":"Aishwarya Padmanabhan , Simon Stankoski , Filip Panchevski , Rhiannon M. Armitage , Sophia Cox , Claire Baert , Borjan Sazdov , Mia Darkovska , Ivana Kiprijanovska , Mohsen Fatoorechi , Bojan Sofronievski , Elena Indovska , Angela Nikodinovska , Stefani Kulebanova , Andrew Cleal , Martin Gjoreski , Tatum Sevenoaks , Charles Nduka , Hristijan Gjoreski , Martin R. Yeomans","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108382","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108382","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigated the potential of OCOsense™ smart glasses to monitor eating and support behaviour change in everyday life. Twenty-three volunteers (14 women, 7 men and 2 non-binary individuals) wore the glasses for 7 h/day, at least five days/week for three weeks. To establish a baseline, in week one, participants wore the glasses with minimal intervention; in week two, they annotated each eating event and photographed their food to evaluate detection accuracy. In week three, participants responded to real-time notifications confirming whether eating was occurring when sensed by the glasses, and received haptic feedback (i.e., glasses vibration) prompting them to either chew more slowly, chew more per mouthful or take longer pauses between bites. Based on sensed chewing, the glasses algorithm detected 476/498 eating events logged in week two (F1-score 0.89), and 528/548 real-time events in week three (F1-score 0.91). To assess food detection accuracy, 598 images (1036 items) were analysed by an algorithm and compared to manual inspection. The algorithm correctly identified 919/1036 items. Compared to baseline, those aiming to change their behaviour: 1) reduced chewing rate (1.63–1.57 chews/sec), while others increased slightly (1.70–1.73); 2) increased chews per bite (22.0–22.8), which declined in others (22.8–19.5); and 3) lengthened breaks between bite (4.69–5.33 s), while others shortened theirs (5.16–4.85 s). Overall, this study demonstrates that OCOsense glasses can detect when and what people eat in everyday life and that feedback delivered by the glasses has the potential to support behaviour change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108382"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145530297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-13DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108383
Charlotte M. Wright , Antonina Mutoro , Beatrice Milligan , Amara Khan , Victor Alfonso , Ada L. Garcia
Purpose
The International Complementary Feeding Evaluation tool (ICFET) is a new tool that provides a standardised description of caregiver feeding and child eating behaviour and diet in young children. It is designed to be relevant to undernutrition in low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs) and to be valid in multiple languages. This paper aims to describe the full content of the ICFET and its performance in various settings, cross-sectionally and longitudinally.
Method
ICFETs were completed by parents of 473 children aged 6–24 months in the UK, Kenya, Pakistan, and Guatemala. Repeated ICFETs were obtained for 62 children starting treatment for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in Kenya and Pakistan.
Findings
Solids were started much earlier in the UK than other countries; in Kenya and Pakistan self-feeding was less, and force feeding more common than in Guatemala and the UK. In the LMIC samples only 23 % children were eating foods from 5/8 of the recommended food groups daily. In the MAM treatment centres, Avidity was low: Kenya mean Z scores (SD) −1.76 (0.9); Pakistan −2.79 (0.9); and food refusal high: Kenya 0.77 (1.3), Pakistan 1.53 (0.9) compared to healthy UK infants; both showed moderate to good stability over time (Kenya Avidity Spearman's r = 0.517, p = 0.023 Refusal r = 0.557, p = 0.013; Pakistan Avidity r = 0.959, p < 0.001; Refusal 0.462 p = 0.002), suggesting that they are capturing enduring appetitive characteristics.
Conclusions
The ICFET provides valid eating and feeding behaviour measures which track within children over time, as well as a range of useful contextual measures of diet in the complementary feeding period.
{"title":"A tool to describe diet and eating behaviour in children at risk of malnutrition: the International Complementary Feeding Evaluation Tool (ICFET)","authors":"Charlotte M. Wright , Antonina Mutoro , Beatrice Milligan , Amara Khan , Victor Alfonso , Ada L. Garcia","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The International Complementary Feeding Evaluation tool (ICFET) is a new tool that provides a standardised description of caregiver feeding and child eating behaviour and diet in young children. It is designed to be relevant to undernutrition in low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs) and to be valid in multiple languages. This paper aims to describe the full content of the ICFET and its performance in various settings, cross-sectionally and longitudinally.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>ICFETs were completed by parents of 473 children aged 6–24 months in the UK, Kenya, Pakistan, and Guatemala. Repeated ICFETs were obtained for 62 children starting treatment for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in Kenya and Pakistan.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>Solids were started much earlier in the UK than other countries; in Kenya and Pakistan self-feeding was less, and force feeding more common than in Guatemala and the UK. In the LMIC samples only 23 % children were eating foods from 5/8 of the recommended food groups daily. In the MAM treatment centres, Avidity was low: Kenya mean Z scores (SD) −1.76 (0.9); Pakistan −2.79 (0.9); and food refusal high: Kenya 0.77 (1.3), Pakistan 1.53 (0.9) compared to healthy UK infants; both showed moderate to good stability over time (Kenya Avidity Spearman's r = 0.517, p = 0.023 Refusal r = 0.557, p = 0.013; Pakistan Avidity r = 0.959, p < 0.001; Refusal 0.462 p = 0.002), suggesting that they are capturing enduring appetitive characteristics.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The ICFET provides valid eating and feeding behaviour measures which track within children over time, as well as a range of useful contextual measures of diet in the complementary feeding period.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108383"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145530355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-12DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108381
Marcin Rzeszutek , Joanna Kowalkowska , Magdalena Grabowska , Małgorzata Dragan , Maja Lis-Turlejska , Katarzyna Schier , Małgorzata Styśko-Kunkowska , Ewa Malinowska , Tomasz Osiński , Kamilla Bargiel-Matusiewicz , Barbara Sosińska , Maria Ibisz , Saadat Almazova , Marcin Bagiński , Szymon Szumiał
Adverse and positive childhood experiences (ACEs and PCEs, respectively) are known to influence various health-related outcomes in adulthood, including eating behaviors. Emotional eating is considered a maladaptive eating style, whereas intuitive eating is perceived as an adaptive one. Understanding how ACEs and PCEs relate to these eating styles could inform targeted interventions. This study investigated the relationship between the types of ACEs and PCEs and eating styles (emotional and intuitive eating) among a national sample of Polish adults (n = 2231). ACEs were assessed using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire and PCEs using the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale. The two eating styles were also assessed: maladaptive (emotional eating) via the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-13) and adaptive (intuitive eating) via the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2). Network analysis revealed that emotional eating was positively associated with three ACEs: sexual abuse, unmet basic needs (e.g., access to food) and a lack of family love. However, emotional eating style was not associated with any PCEs. Intuitive eating was positively associated with three PCEs: comforting beliefs, fun activities, and self-acceptance. Similarly, intuitive eating was not associated with any ACEs. Body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with emotional eating and negatively associated with intuitive eating. Our findings suggest that PCEs and ACEs are independent predictors of opposing eating styles in adulthood. The results of this study can contribute to the development of effective interventions to promote the physical and mental well-being of adults.
{"title":"Adverse and positive childhood experiences with regard to emotional and intuitive eating styles in the national sample of Poles: A network analysis","authors":"Marcin Rzeszutek , Joanna Kowalkowska , Magdalena Grabowska , Małgorzata Dragan , Maja Lis-Turlejska , Katarzyna Schier , Małgorzata Styśko-Kunkowska , Ewa Malinowska , Tomasz Osiński , Kamilla Bargiel-Matusiewicz , Barbara Sosińska , Maria Ibisz , Saadat Almazova , Marcin Bagiński , Szymon Szumiał","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adverse and positive childhood experiences (ACEs and PCEs, respectively) are known to influence various health-related outcomes in adulthood, including eating behaviors. Emotional eating is considered a maladaptive eating style, whereas intuitive eating is perceived as an adaptive one. Understanding how ACEs and PCEs relate to these eating styles could inform targeted interventions. This study investigated the relationship between the types of ACEs and PCEs and eating styles (emotional and intuitive eating) among a national sample of Polish adults (n = 2231). ACEs were assessed using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire and PCEs using the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale. The two eating styles were also assessed: maladaptive (emotional eating) via the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-13) and adaptive (intuitive eating) via the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2). Network analysis revealed that emotional eating was positively associated with three ACEs: sexual abuse, unmet basic needs (e.g., access to food) and a lack of family love. However, emotional eating style was not associated with any PCEs. Intuitive eating was positively associated with three PCEs: comforting beliefs, fun activities, and self-acceptance. Similarly, intuitive eating was not associated with any ACEs. Body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with emotional eating and negatively associated with intuitive eating. Our findings suggest that PCEs and ACEs are independent predictors of opposing eating styles in adulthood. The results of this study can contribute to the development of effective interventions to promote the physical and mental well-being of adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 108381"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145522532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}