Short-term effects of a "health-at-every-size" approach on eating behaviors and appetite ratings.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effects of a "Health-At-Every-Size" (HAES) intervention on eating behaviors and appetite ratings in 144 premenopausal overweight women.


METHODS
Women were randomly assigned to one of the 3 groups: HAES group, social support (SS) group, and control group (N = 48 in each group). Interventions were conducted over a 4-month period, and measurements were taken before and after this period. Eating behaviors (cognitive dietary restraint, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger) were evaluated by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. Appetite ratings (desire to eat, hunger, fullness, and prospective food consumption) were assessed by visual analogue scales before and after a standardized breakfast.


RESULTS
More important decreases in susceptibility to hunger and external hunger were observed in the HAES group when compared with the SS group (p=0.05, for susceptibility to hunger) and the control group (p=0.02 and p=0.005, for susceptibility to hunger and external hunger, respectively). In addition, women from the HAES group had more important decreases in postprandial area under the curve for desire to eat (p=0.02) and hunger (p=0.04) when compared with the control group. The change in the desire to eat noted in the HAES group was also different from the one observed in SS group (p=0.02). Women from the HAES group experienced significant weight loss at 4 months (-1.6+/-2.5 kg, p<0.0001), which did not differ significantly from the SS and control groups (p=0.09). An increase in flexible restraint was significantly related to a greater weight loss in both HAES and SS groups (r=-0.39, p<0.01; and r=-0.37, p<0.05, respectively). A decrease in habitual susceptibility to disinhibition was also associated with a greater weight loss in HAES and control groups (r=0.31, p<0.05; and r=0.44, p<0.05, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that a HAES intervention could have significant effects on eating behaviors and appetite ratings in premenopausal overweight women, when compared with an SS intervention or a control group.
Provencher
Véronique
V
Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 2440, Hochelaga Blvd., Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1K 7P4.
Bégin
Catherine
C
Tremblay
Angelo
A
Mongeau
Lyne
L
Boivin
Sonia
S
Lemieux
Simone
S
D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001066:Appetite; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017697:Premenopause; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires