Nutrients, Vol. 17, Pages 481: Identifying Dietary Triggers Among Individuals with Overweight and Obesity: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
Nutrients doi: 10.3390/nu17030481
Authors:
Han Shi Jocelyn Chew
Rakhi Vashishtha
Ruochen Du
Yan Xin Liaw
Ayelet Gneezy
Background/Objectives: Excess adiposity, affecting 43% of the global adult population, is a major contributor to cardiometabolic diseases. Lifestyle behaviours, specifically dietary habits, play a key role in weight management. Real-time assessment methods such as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) provide context-rich data that reduce recall bias and offer insights into dietary triggers and lapses. This study examines dietary triggers among adults with excess adiposity in Singapore using EMA, focusing on factors influencing dietary adherence and lapses. Methods: A total of 250 participants with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2 were recruited to track dietary habits for one week, at least three times a day, using the Eating Behaviour Lapse Inventory Survey Singapore (eBLISS) embedded within the Eating Trigger Response Inhibition Program (eTRIP© V.1) smartphone app. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of dietary adherence. Results: Of the 4708 responses, 76.4% of the responses were indicative of adherence to dietary plans. Non-adherence was primarily associated with food accessibility and negative emotions (stress, nervousness, and sadness). Factors such as meals prepared by domestic helpers and self-preparation were significantly associated with adherence. Negative emotions and premenstrual syndrome were identified as significant predictors of dietary lapses. Conclusions: EMA offers valuable insights into dietary behaviours by identifying real-time triggers for dietary lapses. Future interventions can utilise technology-driven approaches to predict and prevent lapses, potentially improving adherence and weight management outcomes.
Background/Objectives: Excess adiposity, affecting 43% of the global adult population, is a major contributor to cardiometabolic diseases. Lifestyle behaviours, specifically dietary habits, play a key role in weight management. Real-time assessment methods such as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) provide context-rich data that reduce recall bias and offer insights into dietary triggers and lapses. This study examines dietary triggers among adults with excess adiposity in Singapore using EMA, focusing on factors influencing dietary adherence and lapses. Methods: A total of 250 participants with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2 were recruited to track dietary habits for one week, at least three times a day, using the Eating Behaviour Lapse Inventory Survey Singapore (eBLISS) embedded within the Eating Trigger Response Inhibition Program (eTRIP© V.1) smartphone app. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of dietary adherence. Results: Of the 4708 responses, 76.4% of the responses were indicative of adherence to dietary plans. Non-adherence was primarily associated with food accessibility and negative emotions (stress, nervousness, and sadness). Factors such as meals prepared by domestic helpers and self-preparation were significantly associated with adherence. Negative emotions and premenstrual syndrome were identified as significant predictors of dietary lapses. Conclusions: EMA offers valuable insights into dietary behaviours by identifying real-time triggers for dietary lapses. Future interventions can utilise technology-driven approaches to predict and prevent lapses, potentially improving adherence and weight management outcomes. Read More