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Restraint, tendency toward overeating and ice cream consumption
T Van Strien1, A Cleven, G Schippers
1Department of Clinical Psychology and Personality, University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|August 16, 2000
Summary
Dieting restraint is only effective for individuals prone to overeating. Tendency toward overeating is a stronger predictor of ice cream consumption than restraint itself, suggesting overeating may precede dieting.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Psychology
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Dieting and eating behaviors are complex, influenced by psychological factors.
- Restraint theory suggests that restricting food intake can lead to overeating.
- Individual differences in susceptibility to overeating and dietary restraint warrant further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the predictive power of preload, restraint, and susceptibility to overeating on ice cream consumption.
- To investigate potential interaction effects between these variables.
Main Methods:
- A milkshake-ice cream consumption study involving 200 female participants.
- Utilized the Restraint Scale (RS), Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ).
- Employed hierarchical step-up multiple regression analyses with continuous variables for restraint and disinhibition.
Main Results:
- No disinhibition effect was observed; participants did not overeat post-milkshake, irrespective of restraint or overeating tendency.
- Tendency toward overeating emerged as the primary predictor of ice cream consumption.
- Restraint, after accounting for overeating tendency, did not significantly predict ice cream intake.
- The DEBQ disinhibition scale showed greater promise than the TFEQ scale in predicting ice cream consumption.
Conclusions:
- Restraint theory appears primarily applicable to individuals with a tendency toward overeating.
- Susceptibility to overeating may be a more significant predictor of eating behavior than restraint.
- These findings suggest that overeating might precede the adoption of dieting behaviors.