Yvette Karvay

Objective: Limited research has examined the function or consequences of dietary restriction among individuals for whom it may serve differential purposes, such as those with food insecurity. Indeed, food insecurity may uniquely relate to differential functions for engaging in dietary restriction, which may relate to subsequent changes in mood; this study sought to assess these associations.Method: A subsample of 77 young adults from the Minnesota‐based EAT (Eating and Activity over Time) cohort with food insecurity (M_age = 25.2 ± 1.8 years; Women = 72.7%; Black = 18.2%; Latinx = 19.5%; Asian = 18.2%; White = 27.3%) reported on state‐level functions for dietary restriction (financial only, weight‐control only, or both) versus no restriction, and state‐level mood, via ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Demographics‐adjusted linear mixed models were conducted to examine the function of dietary restriction since the last EMA signal and current mood.Results: Across a 14‐day EMA period, 29.9% of observations involved dietary restriction due to financial functions only, 6.2% involved dietary restriction due to both financial and weight‐control functions, and 3.0% involved restriction for weight‐control functions only. Compared to instances of no dietary restriction, overall negative mood was higher after engaging in dietary restriction for both functions (B = 0.43; p = 0.002), but not for financial (B = 0.12; p = 0.14) or weight‐control (B = 0.30; p = 0.06) functions only.Discussion: These findings suggest dual‐purpose dietary restriction (i.e., for both financial and weight‐control) is common in young adults with food insecurity and may influence mood; thus, it may be an important intervention target.

Introduction: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) only recently emerged in the DSM‐5 and ICD‐11. Relatedly, emerging conceptualisations of ARFID are equivocal. A functional conceptualisation of ARFID (i.e., cohesive conceptualisation that can guide research and clinical work) is needed. The present systematic scoping review aimed to synthesise ARFID literature to develop a functional conceptualisation model with recommendations for ongoing research and clinical work. Method: Utilising PRISMA guidelines, 25 references were found eligible for inclusion and categorised using a bottom‐up approach into 6 (not mutually exclusive) conceptualisations of ARFID: clinical presentation subtypes ( n = 16), symptom presentation ( n = 4), biological ( n = 3), behavioural ( n = 4), learning ( n = 3), and biopsychosocial ( n = 4) models. Results: Conceptually, both clinical presentation subtype and biopsychosocial models posed important avenues for further exploration of the aetiology, maintenance, and treatment of ARFID. Clinical presentation subtype models were most common, echoing and extending previous research support for the DSM's subtype categorisation. Biopsychosocial models were agnostic to ARFID subtypes, but encompassed elements of the biological, behavioural, and learning models, and suggested factors related to the aetiology and maintenance of ARFID subtypes. Discussion: Together, these conceptualisations allow for streamlined, nuanced research and clinical work aimed at understanding and treating ARFID.

Objectives Extant research supports a positive relationship between weight-related abuse (WRA) and disordered eating constructs. Individuals who face marginalization and who are more likely to live in larger bodies, such as Black and Hispanic individuals in the United States (U.S.), may be at a heightened risk of WRA. This study is aimed at understanding whether the relationship between WRA and disordered eating constructs varies by race/ethnicity. We hypothesized that individuals from marginalized backgrounds would have differential levels of dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and shape/weight overvaluation with increased experiences of WRA compared to non-Hispanic White individuals. Methods Two thousand one hundred sixteen undergraduates were recruited from two U.S. universities for a survey-based study assessing psychosocial functioning. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire assessing race/ethnicity, the Weight-Related Abuse Questionnaire assessing WRA experiences, and the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire assessing disordered eating constructs. Results Results showed positive relationships between verbal (vWRA) and physical (pWRA) WRA and disordered eating behaviors and cognitions. Moreover, at higher levels of vWRA, Asian and multiracial individuals showed greater dietary restraint compared to White individuals. No other tested models were moderated by race/ethnicity. Conclusion WRA is positively associated with disordered eating behaviors and cognitions across racial/ethnic identities, and vWRA may be differentially related to increased dietary restraint in Asian and multiracial individuals compared to White individuals. Further research utilizing intersectional analyses (e.g., examining how this relationship varies according to the intersection of race/ethnicity, gender, and weight status) would help clarify this relationship.

Objective: The COVID‐19 pandemic is one of the largest collective stressors in recent history. Consistent with prior research, this stress has led to impactful eating behavior change. While prior life traumas also impact eating behavior, it is unclear whether the current stress experienced during COVID‐19, and prior life traumas (overall, socially relevant, and nonsocially relevant), interact to influence eating behavior changes. Moreover, it is unclear whether current stress and prior traumas impact how eating behavior changes are perceived (i.e., in magnitude, valence, or both) by the individuals experiencing the changes. Therefore, this study sought to examine both the relationship between current stress and perception of eating behavior changes, as well as the moderating impact of prior life traumas on this relationship.Methods: Between March and April 2020, participants completed a subjective, self‐report online assessment of current stress, prior life traumas, pandemic‐related changes in eating behaviors, and the perceived impact of eating behavior changes.Results: Higher current stress was associated with larger, more negative perceptions of eating behavior changes. This relationship was moderated by prior life traumas. Specifically, the association between current stress and perceived negative impact of eating behavior change was potentiated among those with more prior socially relevant (but not nonsocially relevant) traumas.Discussion: These results suggest eating behavior changes occurred early in the pandemic and were uniquely impacted by the cumulative effect of present stress and socially relevant prior life traumas.Public Significance: Changes in eating behaviors and pathology have been prevalent during COVID‐19. We examined how stress and prior life traumas interacted during the first weeks of COVID‐19 to influence perceptions of eating behavior change. As altered perception of eating behaviors is a notable feature of eating pathology, these results will help inform development of intervention targets for those at risk for developing disordered eating during future‐ and post‐pandemic recovery.

Objective: Historically, eating disorder research has excluded marginalized and underserved populations, such as those with food insecurity (which also impacts higher numbers of Black/African American and Latinx communities). However, burgeoning research suggests an association between food insecurity and the development of eating disorder pathology. Examining patterns of food availability and related eating behaviors may elucidate the association between food insecurity and eating disorder pathology. However, to date, there are no comprehensive measures that accurately capture food availability patterns and related eating behaviors.Method: In Study 1, 40 participants (20 adolescents, 20 adults) will respond to and provide qualitative feedback on the Food Availability and Related Eating Behaviors Questionnaire (FAREB‐Q). In study 2, 50 participants (approximately 25 with and without food insecurity) will complete the FAREB‐Q at two time‐points, and respond to questions about food insecurity, disordered eating, and every day stress to assess the FAREB‐Q's reliability and validity.Results: Results will clarify whether the FAREB‐Q is a reliable and valid instrument that measures food availability and related eating behavior patterns.Discussion: The present study aims to develop, pilot, and examine the psychometric properties of the FAREB‐Q, a self‐report measure examining food availability and related eating behaviors in community populations.Public Significance: The novel FAREB‐Q assesses food availability and related eating patterns in the general community. The FAREB‐Q will be reviewed by experts in disordered eating, food insecurity, psychometric statisticians and piloted in the general public before being psychometrically evaluated in a larger sample. The FAREB‐Q is anticipated to help elucidate the mechanisms linking food availability, food (in)security, disordered eating behaviors, and eating pathology.

Objective: Approximately 11% of the U.S. population experiences food insecurity (FI; insufficient access to healthy food due to financial constraints). FI is associated with detrimental health outcomes, including the development of eating disorders (EDs). However, additional studies are needed, particularly in adolescence when EDs are likely to emerge. The current study will utilize an experimental ad libitum snack paradigm to investigate snack consumption, acquisition (i.e., taking snacks home), and associated disordered eating behaviors among racially, ethnically, and financially diverse adolescents living with FI and food security (FS).Method: Sixty‐four adolescents will be recruited and randomized into one of two conditions: prior knowledge condition (i.e., participants will know prior to snacking that they can take any remaining food home) and no prior knowledge condition (i.e., participants will not know ahead of time that they can take snacks home).Results: We expect youth with FI to show increased eating and acquisition behaviors compared to youth with FS across both conditions.Discussion: This study, utilizing a novel experimental design, is an important step in understanding how FI impacts adolescent eating behaviors among youth from marginalized backgrounds, who have historically been excluded from research.