'Eating to survive': A qualitative analysis of factors influencing food choice and eating behaviour in a food-insecure population.

Food insecurity affects approximately 8.4 million people in the UK, one of the worst levels in Europe. Food insecurity is associated with poor diet quality and obesity; however, the drivers of this relationship are unclear. This study used a qualitative approach to explore factors that influence food choice and eating behaviour in a food-insecure population in Liverpool, UK. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with adults (N = 24) who were clients at foodbanks. The interviews were informed by a semi-structured interview schedule, which focussed on access to food, factors influencing food choices, and strategies used to conserve food. Interview transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Six themes were developed; 'Income', 'Cost of food', 'Accessibility of shops', 'Health issues', 'Food rationing strategies' and 'Worsened health outcomes'. Income was the most salient factor influencing participants' food choices with all participants reporting a constant struggle to afford food. Food decisions were primarily based on cost; most participants valued eating healthily but could not afford to do so. Strategies to ration food included skipping meals, consuming small portions, cooking in bulk, and prioritising children's food intake. The majority of participants reported pre-existing physical and/or mental health issues, but these were exacerbated by poor access to food leading to a vicious cycle of stress and worsening health issues. In conclusion, participants' food choices and eating behaviour seemed to be most strongly influenced by their level of income. Our findings provide insight into the range of strategies used by participants to conserve food and also highlight the mental health impact of food insecurity. Initiatives addressing income and the cost of healthy food are required.

Modeling the Distinct Negative-Reinforcement Mechanisms Associated with Alcohol Misuse and Unhealthy Snacking.

BACKGROUND: Negative personality characteristics have been implicated in promoting overconsumption of both alcohol and food. Furthermore, positive motivations (enhancement) and negative motivations (coping) may mediate the association between personality and alcohol or food (over)consumption. OBJECTIVES: This study hypothesized that i.) drinking to cope and ii.) eating to cope would mediate the association between hopelessness/anxiety sensitivity and hazardous drinking/unhealthy snacking, respectively, and iii.) eating and drinking to cope would represent separate strategies. METHODS: Participants were recruited via opportunity sampling through university schemes, social media, email and web page advertisements. Questionnaires included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Substance Use Risk Profile Scale, Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire Short Form, Palatable Eating Motives Scale and Snack/Meal Food Intake Measure. RESULTS: Participants were 198 undergraduates, weight-related research volunteers and the public (83% female; 90% university educated). The hypothesized structural model fit the data well. As predicted, there were significant indirect associations between negative personality characteristics, hazardous drinking and unhealthy snacking via coping; specifically, individuals higher in anxiety sensitivity/hopelessness used food or alcohol to cope which, in turn, significantly predicted unhealthy snacking, and hazardous drinking, respectively. Importantly, drinking and eating to cope represented outcome-specific strategies, indicated by no significant association between eating to cope and hazardous drinking, or between drinking to cope and snacking. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that coping motivations are critical to the relationship between negative personality characteristics and unhealthy behaviors and highlights the distinct negative-reinforcement pathways associated with hazardous drinking and unhealthy snacking in majority university-educated females from the UK.

Successive negative contrast effects in a risk-sensitive foraging procedure.

Although a wealth of studies have evidenced successive negative contrast effects in instrumental or operant procedures, relatively few studies have determined if and how a sudden downshift in reward quality alters foraging behaviour. In light of research by ecologists and psychologists in the area of risk-sensitive foraging, this area would serve as an adequate framework to examine the effects of a sudden downshift in reward quality on foraging behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of the current experiment was to explore if and how a sudden downshift in reward quality altered risk-sensitive foraging in rats. Subjects chose between a variable and fixed option that returned the same mean amount of sugar pellets, but one group of subjects (i.e., contrast group) were downshifted from 100% to 20% sugar pellets, whereas an unshifted control group received 20% sugar pellets throughout the study. Consistent with past risk-sensitive foraging research where reward quality was manipulated, subjects in the contrast group displayed significantly more risk-prone choices when reward quality was decreased from 100% to 20% sugar. However, the change in choice was inconsistent with contrast effects observed in prior contrast experiments. In addition to choice behaviour, other behavioural measures (e.g., rejected food, latency to choice) were significantly different between the unshifted control and contrast group and across conditions in the contrast group (e.g., latency to choice and rejected food significantly increased when reward quality changed from 100% to 20% sugar). These findings revealed a contrast effect and were similar to past contrast studies where reward quality was downshifted. Thus, when foragers experience a sudden downshift in reward quality, they may display significant behavioural changes and, in turn, display a bias for patches that yield a greater reward quality despite potentially lower payoffs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

A Qualitative Analysis of Problematic and Non-problematic Alcohol Use After Bariatric Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Bariatric surgery is an effective weight loss tool, but an under-communicated side effect may include the increased risk for alcohol problems. Few studies have examined contributors towards alcohol problems following surgery using a qualitative approach. Therefore, the current study aimed to generate insight informed by participants with problematic alcohol use following bariatric surgery, in comparison with participants without. METHODS: Participants (14; females, n = 9; males, n = 5) completed semi-structured interviews using questions relating to alcohol use, relationship to food, support and surgical experiences. Thematic analysis was conducted to provide insight into the factors which influenced drinking behaviours that participants engaged in following bariatric surgery, and motivations for drinking or limiting alcohol. RESULTS: Five core themes were identified between both participants with and without problematic alcohol use: (1) drinking motivations, (2) self-image, (3) impact of restriction on eating behaviour, (4) support needs and (5) surgical preparedness. A sixth core theme ("resilience") was identified specifically amongst participants without problematic alcohol use. Divergent experiences, cognitions and behaviours formed sub-themes within the five core themes and highlighted the differences between participants with and without problematic alcohol use within the core themes. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to qualitatively assess themes relating to the development of problematic alcohol use after bariatric surgery while additionally using a comparison group without problematic alcohol use. The findings highlight key features which contribute to problematic alcohol use, as well as experiences and cognitions that may be helpful in preventing this phenomenon in bariatric populations.