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Overlapping and distinct relationships between hedonic hunger, uncontrolled eating, food craving, and the obesogenic home food environment during and after a 12-month behavioral weight loss program
This research article examines the construct of hedonic hunger, defined as reward-driven eating that occurs outside of biological necessity, and its relationship with weight loss during behavioral weight loss (BWL) interventions. The study involved 283 adult participants in a 12-month randomized controlled trial, where weight measurements were taken at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing hedonic hunger, food craving, uncontrolled eating, and the home food environment.
The findings indicate that all assessed variables showed improvement at both 12 and 24 months. Notably, reductions in hedonic hunger at the 12-month mark were linked to higher weight loss; however, this association was no longer significant when controlling for improvements in food craving and uncontrolled eating. At the 24-month follow-up, the reduction in food craving emerged as a stronger predictor of weight loss than hedonic hunger, whereas improvements in hedonic hunger were more predictive of weight loss than changes in uncontrolled eating. Importantly, alterations in the obesogenic home food environment did not predict weight loss, independent of hedonic hunger levels.
This study contributes valuable insights into the nuanced interplay between individual psychological factors and contextual influences on weight control, suggesting implications for refining theoretical models and treatment approaches.
Year: 2023
