Eating beyond satiety and body mass index.
OBJECTIVE
To examine discrete eating behaviours as predictors of body mass and psychological processes through which these behaviours might lead to increased body mass.


METHODS
Three hundred and twenty-nine undergraduate females filled out questionnaires on eating beyond satiety (EBS), snacking, night eating, and hunger as well as the process variables--eating expectancies and self-reported cue reactivity--in an online study. The eating behaviours were regressed on body mass index and mediation analyses were conducted for the process variables.


RESULTS
EBS was the strongest predictor of body mass when the other eating behaviours were controlled. The process variables did not mediate the relationship between EBS and body mass.


CONCLUSIONS
EBS may be a discrete variable on which to intervene to prevent and treat overweight and obesity. Further research is needed to elucidate the situational and affective antecedents of EBS.
Yanover
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T
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA. tyanover@mail.usf.edu
Sacco
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WP
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D016015:Logistic Models; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D012527:Satiation / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires