title: A Psychophysiological Mechanism Underlying Women's Weight-Management Goals: Women Desire and Strive for Greater Weight Loss Near Peak Fertility.
abstract: Three studies demonstrated that conception risk was associated with increased motivations to manage weight. Consistent with the rationale that this association is due to ovulatory processes, Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that it was moderated by hormonal contraceptive (HC) use. Consistent with the rationale that this interactive effect should emerge when modern appearance-related concerns regarding weight are salient, Study 3 used a 14-day diary to demonstrate that the interactive effects of conception risk and HC use on daily motivations to restrict eating were further moderated by daily motivations to manage body attractiveness. Finally, providing evidence that this interactive effect has implications for real behavior, daily fluctuations in the desire to restrict eating predicted daily changes in women's self-reported eating behavior. These findings may help reconcile prior inconsistencies regarding the implications of ovulatory processes by illustrating that such implications can depend on the salience of broader social norms.
authors.affiliation: Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA ameltzer@smu.edu.
authors.forename: Andrea L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Meltzer
authors.affiliation: Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA.
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: McNulty
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.
authors.forename: Saul L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, USA.
authors.forename: Levi R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000068959:Body Weight Maintenance; D003267:Contraception / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000523:psychology*; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: health goals; ovulation; relationships; weight; women