title: Sensitivity to reward and adolescents' unhealthy snacking and drinking behavior: the role of hedonic eating styles and availability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although previous research found a positive association between sensitivity to reward (SR) and adolescents' unhealthy snacking and drinking behavior, mechanisms explaining these associations remain to be explored. The present study will therefore examine whether the associations between SR and unhealthy snack and/or sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake are mediated by external and/or emotional eating and if this mediation is moderated by availability at home or at school.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data on snacking, availability of snacks at home and at school, SR (BAS drive scale) and external and emotional eating (Dutch eating behavior questionnaire) of Flemish adolescents (n = 1104, mean age = 14.7 ± 0.8 years; 51 % boys; 18.0% overweight) in 20 schools spread across Flanders were collected. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted using generalized structural equation modeling in three steps: (1) direct association between SR and unhealthy snack or SSB intake, (2) mediation of either external or emotional eating and (3) interaction of home or school availability and emotional or external eating.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Partial mediation of external eating (a*b = 0.69, p < 0.05) and of emotional eating (a*b = 0.92, p < 0.01) in the relation between SR and intake of unhealthy snacks was found (step 2). The relation between SR and SSB intake was not mediated by external or emotional eating (step 2). No moderation effects of home or school availability were found (step 3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that the association between SR and the consumption of unhealthy snacks is partially explained by external and emotional eating in a population-based sample of adolescents irrespective of the home or school availability of these foods.
authors: Department of Food safety and Food quality, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, Belgium. nathaliel.decock@ugent.be.
authors: Nathalie
authors: N
authors: De Cock
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185A, Ghent, Belgium. wendy.vanlippevelde@ugent.be.
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Van Lippevelde
authors: Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, Ghent, Belgium. lien.goossens@ugent.be.
authors: Lien
authors: L
authors: Goossens
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185A, Ghent, Belgium. b.declercq@ugent.be.
authors: Bart
authors: B
authors: De Clercq
authors: Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, KU Leuven, Parkstraat 45 -box 3603, Leuven, Belgium. Jolien.Vangeel@soc.kuleuven.be.
authors: Jolien
authors: J
authors: Vangeel
authors: Department of Food safety and Food quality, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, Belgium. carl.lachat@ugent.be.
authors: Carl
authors: C
authors: Lachat
authors: Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, KU Leuven, Parkstraat 45 -box 3603, Leuven, Belgium. Kathleen.Beullens@soc.kuleuven.be.|Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), Egmontstraat 5, Brussels, Belgium. Kathleen.Beullens@soc.kuleuven.be.
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Beullens
authors: Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute, 2033 K Street, 20006, Washington, DC, USA. L.Huybregts@cgiar.org.
authors: Lieven
authors: L
authors: Huybregts
authors: Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, Ghent, Belgium. Leentje.vervoor@ugent.be.
authors: Leentje
authors: L
authors: Vervoort
authors: Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, KU Leuven, Parkstraat 45 -box 3603, Leuven, Belgium. Steven.Eggermont@soc.kuleuven.be.
authors: Steven
authors: S
authors: Eggermont
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185A, Ghent, Belgium. lea.maes@ugent.be.
authors: Lea
authors: L
authors: Maes
authors: Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, Ghent, Belgium. caroline.braet@ugent.be.
authors: Caroline
authors: C
authors: Braet
authors: Department of Public Health, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185A, Ghent, Belgium. benedicte.deforche@ugent.be.|Department of Human Biometry and Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Education and Physical Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. benedicte.deforche@ugent.be.
authors: Benedicte
authors: B
authors: Deforche
authors: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, Antwerp, Belgium. PKolsteren@itg.be.
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Kolsteren
authors: Department of Food safety and Food quality, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent, Belgium. john.vancamp@ugent.be.
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Van Camp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D001628:Beverages; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003463:Cues; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012201:Reward; D012574:Schools; D062410:Snacks / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose