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Can(not) take my eyes off it: Attention bias for food in overweight participants

Can(not) take my eyes off it: Attention bias for food in overweight participants
Can(not) take my eyes off it: Attention bias for food in overweight participants
Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate attention biases for food cues, craving and overeating in overweight and healthy weight participants. Specifically, it was tested whether attention allocation processes towards high-fat foods differ between overweight and normal weight individuals and whether selective attention biases for food cues are related to craving and food intake. Design: Eye movements were recorded as a direct index of attention allocation in a sample of 22 overweight/obese and 29 healthy weight female students during a visual probe task with food pictures. In addition, self reported craving and actual food intake during a bogus “taste-test” were assessed. Main outcome measures: Attention biases towards food cues in initial gaze direction, first fixation durations and total dwell time as indexed by recordings of eye-movements. Results: Overweight participants showed an approach-avoidance pattern of attention allocation towards high-fat food: Overweight participants directed their first gaze more often towards food pictures than healthy weight individuals, but subsequently showed reduced maintenance of attention on these pictures. For overweight participants, craving was related to initial orientation towards food. Moreover, overweight participants consumed significantly more snack food than healthy weight participants. Conclusion: Results emphasize the importance of identifying different attention bias components in overweight individuals with regard to craving and subsequent overeating.
overweight, attention bias, craving, overeating
0278-6133
561-569
Werthmann, J
090c2b95-eb66-414c-af41-5047ed939a24
Roefs, A
83e62dc2-9791-422b-9ddb-34dbe9ddd84d
Nederkoorn, C
04ecbfb4-3221-45dc-a0f3-348dc47cbbdf
Mogg, Karin
5f1474af-85f5-4fd3-8eb6-0371be848e30
Bradley, Brendan P.
bdacaa6c-528b-4086-9448-27ebfe463514
Jansen, A
d6f22197-b830-4396-8575-66bd0fd1a102
Werthmann, J
090c2b95-eb66-414c-af41-5047ed939a24
Roefs, A
83e62dc2-9791-422b-9ddb-34dbe9ddd84d
Nederkoorn, C
04ecbfb4-3221-45dc-a0f3-348dc47cbbdf
Mogg, Karin
5f1474af-85f5-4fd3-8eb6-0371be848e30
Bradley, Brendan P.
bdacaa6c-528b-4086-9448-27ebfe463514
Jansen, A
d6f22197-b830-4396-8575-66bd0fd1a102

Werthmann, J, Roefs, A, Nederkoorn, C, Mogg, Karin, Bradley, Brendan P. and Jansen, A (2011) Can(not) take my eyes off it: Attention bias for food in overweight participants. Health Psychology, 30 (5), 561-569. (doi:10.1037/a0024291).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate attention biases for food cues, craving and overeating in overweight and healthy weight participants. Specifically, it was tested whether attention allocation processes towards high-fat foods differ between overweight and normal weight individuals and whether selective attention biases for food cues are related to craving and food intake. Design: Eye movements were recorded as a direct index of attention allocation in a sample of 22 overweight/obese and 29 healthy weight female students during a visual probe task with food pictures. In addition, self reported craving and actual food intake during a bogus “taste-test” were assessed. Main outcome measures: Attention biases towards food cues in initial gaze direction, first fixation durations and total dwell time as indexed by recordings of eye-movements. Results: Overweight participants showed an approach-avoidance pattern of attention allocation towards high-fat food: Overweight participants directed their first gaze more often towards food pictures than healthy weight individuals, but subsequently showed reduced maintenance of attention on these pictures. For overweight participants, craving was related to initial orientation towards food. Moreover, overweight participants consumed significantly more snack food than healthy weight participants. Conclusion: Results emphasize the importance of identifying different attention bias components in overweight individuals with regard to craving and subsequent overeating.

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More information

Published date: 18 July 2011
Keywords: overweight, attention bias, craving, overeating

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 177035
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/177035
ISSN: 0278-6133
PURE UUID: dc03c5c1-2fb6-47dd-8b9f-f11d73d7f41e
ORCID for Brendan P. Bradley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2801-4271

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Date deposited: 14 Mar 2011 13:49
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:45

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Contributors

Author: J Werthmann
Author: A Roefs
Author: C Nederkoorn
Author: Karin Mogg
Author: A Jansen

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