• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.110-120
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• 2021

This study investigated the factors affecting restrained and emotional eating according to the BMI of college women in Seoul. Based on their weight, 514 college women were divided into 3 groups. General demographics, nutrient consumption, eating habits and DEBQ were subsequently evaluated. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the factors responsible for restrained and emotional eating in each group. Percentage of the overweight or obese group having negative emotions, such as frequency of overeating (p<0.05), habitual eating, regret, and guilt after overeating, was higher as compared to the other groups (p<0.001). Considering factors that affect restrained eating, negative emotion after overeating had a positive correlation in the underweight group (β=0.481, p<0.001). In the normal-weight group, the BMI (β=0.201, p<0.001), total food intake (β=0.241, p=0.002), and negative emotion after overeating (β=0.284, p<0.001) positively affected restrained eating. In the underweight group, habitual eating (β=0.292, p=0.002) and negative emotions after overeating (β=0.233, p=0.012) were determined to affect emotional eating. Moreover, habitual eating (β=0.290, p<0.001) and negative emotions after overeating (β=0.172, p=0.004) were observed to influence emotional eating in the normal weight group. In the overweight and obese groups, habitual eating was determined to affect emotional eating (β=0.410, p<0.001). Taken together, these results provide a basis for creating a weight control program for young women having undesirable eating behaviors, such as restrained and emotional eating.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.214-221
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• 2008

This study analyzed the survey results of 302 college students from a coed university in Korea. The following three research components were examined: relationships among different eating styles, violation behaviors after unwanted eating, and consumption behaviors for three different food types. The analysis results showed that restrained eating was positively related to emotional eating, but negatively related to external eating. And emotional and external eating displayed a positive relationship. Body shape dissatisfaction was a significant variable in explaining restrained eating behavior. After unwanted eating, the restrained eaters expressed more regrets and stronger determination to diet than the less restrained eaters. The emotional eaters and external eaters responded that they could not stop eating and performed binge eating behaviors when they failed their diet. With regard to food attitudes and eating styles, snacks were favorably related to emotional eating. Fast food attitudes were negatively associated with restrained eating. Preference was the only significant variable in explaining snack consumption frequency; however sex, preference, and restrained eating were significant for fast foods. Finally, vegetarian foods were explained by preference and sex.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.330-340
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Emotional eating is one of the eating behaviors in which negative emotions affect eating. During the luteal phase, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its associated psychological and physical symptoms can appear in some women, and a few of them suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of PMS. Some women diagnosed with PMS/PMDD experience emotional eating during the luteal phase, which may be a coping mechanism for psychological stress. This study aimed to investigate how PMS/PMDD and negatively perceived stress are related to emotional eating. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 409 women aged 20 to 39 yrs with a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 18.5 to 29.9 kg/m² participated in this study. Participants who responded to all the questions of the Shortened Premenstrual Assessment Form, Negative Perceived Stress Scale, and Emotional Eater Questionnaire were divided into a PMDD and a non-PMDD group according to the cut-off value for PMDD diagnosis. Independent t-tests and mediation analyses were performed to compare the 2 groups. RESULTS: No significant differences between the 2 groups were found in terms of BMI; however, the average values for emotional eating, PMS, and negative perceived stress of the PMDD group were significantly higher than those of the non-PMDD group. Only negative perceived stress had a significant effect on emotional eating in the non-PMDD group. In the PMDD group, PMS was statistically significant for both negative perceived stress and emotional eating mediated by negative perceived stress. Consequently, it appeared to have a partial or complete mediation depending on the independent variable for the PMDD group. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of managing negative perceived stress to control emotional eating in PMS/PMDD for improved women's health.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.55-70
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• 2015

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of personality style and emotional dysregulation on female adolescents' eating attitude, and the mediating effect of emotional dysregulation on the relationship between personality style and eating attitude. For this research, questionnaires on personality style, emotional dysregulation and eating attitude were administered to 1370 female high school students based in Seoul. Among 1370 questionnaires collected, 1239 were selected and statistically analyzed by frequency analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS Win 21.0. The main findings of the study are as follows: First, according to female adolescents' BMI, the level of their eating attitude differed significantly. Second, according to female adolescents' BMI, female adolescents' personality style and emotional dysregulation were found to affect their eating attitude significantly. Third, emotional dysregulation had a mediating effect on the relationship between female adolescents' personality style and eating attitude. To be more specific, for the normal weight group of female adolescents, emotional dysregulation was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between sociotropy and eating attitude, and a full mediating effect on the relationship between autonomy and eating attitude. On the contrary, for the overweight and obese groups of female adolescents, emotional dysregulation was found to have a full mediating effect on the relationship between sociotropy and eating attitude, and a partial mediating effect on the relationship between autonomy and eating attitude. The results of the study show the ways in which personality and emotional traits contribute to female adolescents' eating attitude according to their BMI, and provide useful information for treatment of adolescents' eating disorder in clinical settings.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.86-96
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• 2023

Purpose: This study analyzes the association between depression, emotional eating, and dietary practices, and investigates the mediating effects of emotional eating between depression and dietary practice. Methods: A total of 345 women aged 40-59 years participated in the Seoul and Gyeonggido region. Assessments were achieved by self-reported questionnaires for emotional eating (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire), Nutrition Quotients (NQ), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). Results: Analyzing the NQ scores by considering the depression group, revealed that compared to the normal group, balance, diversity, and eating behavior scores were lower in the depression group, whereas the moderation score was lower in the borderline depression group and depression group. The emotional eating scores were determined to be higher in the depression group than in the normal group. Partial correlation analysis between depression, emotional eating, and NQ revealed that depression is positively correlated with emotional eating and negatively correlated with all other factors of the nutrition quotient, balance, diversity, moderation, and eating behavior. Among the nutrition quotient factors considered, emotional eating was determined to be negatively correlated with both diversity and moderation. The bootstrapping method was applied to analyze the mediating effect of emotional eating for determining the association between depression and NQ. Results indicate that among the nutrition quotient factors evaluated using emotional eating as a medium, depression exerted a negative effect on moderation. Conclusion: Results of this study confirm that emotional eating, as a medium, affects the intake of unhealthy foods especially when depression is associated with dietary practices.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.74-79
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• 2013

Objectives This paper aims to understand the emotional-biological pathogenesis of eating disorders, and translate the understanding into new brain directed treatments. Methods The first part of the review sets the eating behavior into the context of what is now understood about the central control of appetite and molecular biology. The second part of the review sees how emotion relates to the brain circuit involving eating disorders. Results In general, patients with anorexia nervosa restricting type were less sensitive to reward, whereas patients with bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa binge purging type were more sensitive to it. The emotional life of people with eating disorders centers on food, weight, and shape. The abnormalities in social and emotional functioning both precede and persist outside of eating disorders. Conclusions Research into understanding the biological framework of the brain in eating disorders suggests that abnormalities may exist in emotional and information processing. This aspect can be translated into novel brain-directed treatments, particularly in anorexia nervosa.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2018

This study examined the relationship between coping style for stress and emotional eating behavior focused on gender difference. A total of 475 college students(males, 244; females, 231) participated in this study. The results were as follows. First, there were significant gender difference in coping style for stress. The scores of male students were significantly higher than those of female students in the problem-focused and self-comforting coping styles, whereas scores of female students were significantly higher than male students in social support pursuit and emotion-focused coping styles. Second, there were significant gender difference in emotional eating behavior. Female students reported higher emotional eating behavior than male students. Third, male students preferred a problem-focused coping style, whereas female students preferred a social support pursuit coping style the most. Fourth, the interaction of gender and coping style for stress were not related to the emotional eating behavior. Both of male and female students who preferred an emotion focused coping style reported the highest score in emotional eating behavior. The limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.475-484
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• 2017

Objectives: The study was conducted to investigate the relationship between several stress measures in everyday life, emotional eating behavior, and dietary pattern (snacks, fatty foods, sweet beverages, fruits and vegetables) in school-aged children. Methods: One hundred and ninety-four students of an elementary school located in Seongnam City participated in the study. The students responded to the survey questionnaire by self-report, which consisted of items regarding general characteristics, height, weight, dietary habits, frequency of consuming healthy (fruits and vegetables) and unhealthy foods (snacks, fatty foods, and sweet beverages), emotional eating behavior, and daily stress. Correlational analysis was performed to examine the relationship between stress, emotional eating behavior, and dietary pattern, and Poisson and logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of stress on dietary pattern. Results: Positive correlations were found between all stress factors and emotional eating behavior and between the friend and personal factor (one of the stress factors) and the consumption of sweet beverages. The frequency of consuming sweet beverages was 2.6 times higher in the high stress group than in the low stress group (95% CI). Conclusions: Children's daily stress was associated with emotional eating behavior and undesirable dietary pattern such as consumption of sweet beverages.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.405-414
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• 2016

Objectives: The associations between the eating behavior and energy and macronutrient intake from meals and snacks consumed during different times of the day across the menstrual cycle were investigated in 74 healthy female college students. Methods: A 9-day food record was collected during the last 3 days before menstrual onset (phase 1) and the first 3 days after menstrual onset (phase 2) and from the 4th to the 6th day after menstrual onset (phase 3), respectively. Anthropometry was assessed and eating behaviors were measured using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Results: External eating was the most prevalent type of eating behavior, followed by restrained eating and emotional eating. Restrained eating was positively associated with energy, carbohydrate and lipid intake at the breakfast and midmorning snack during phase 3. However, emotional eating was also positively related to energy and macronutrient intake at the dinner and after-dinner snack during phase 1 and phase 3, with higher level detected in the phase 1. The association of emotional eating with the snack consumption was highest in phase 1. External eating was positively associated with energy and macronutrient intakes at the dinner and after-dinner snack across the three phases, the highest level being phase 1. In addition, restrained eating was positively associated with the weight, body mass index(BMI), fat mass, waist and hip girth of the subjects. Conclusions: Eating behaviors varied with regard to meals and snacks consumed during different times of the day across the three menstrual phases. Dinner and afterdinner snack consumption in premenstrual phase could be considered as a time when women are more prone to overconsumption and uncontrolled eating.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.89-102
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• 2016

This research was performed to confirm the four emotional eating types and examine the differences in BMI, ego resilience, and the level of college adaptation among those types. The total of 485 Korean college students (male 249, female 236) participated in this study. The main results were as follows, First, the emotional eating types were divided into four types based on positive emotional eating and negative emotional eating, and the type of more - eating with positive emotion and less? eating with negative emotion was the largest one among all the types. Second, there were no significant distinctions on frequency between emotional eating types and BMI. Third, individuals with less - eating for both positive and negative emotions showed the highest ego resilience level, whereas those with more - eating for both positive and negative emotions showed the lowest. Fourth, individuals with less - eating for both positive and negative emotions showed the highest score in the level of adaptation in college whereas those with more - eating for negative emotion and less - eating for positive emotion showed the lowest. Limitations of the present study and suggestions for future research were discussed.