Search

Objective Relationships were examined between hostility, weight status, weight cycling, dieting behaviors, and nutrition attitudes. Method Data were derived from the RENO Diet-Heart Study (RDHS), a 5-year prospective natural history (descriptive) study of weight fluctuations, behavior patterns, and cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors. Overweight versus normal-weight and weight-cycling versus non–weight-cycling men and women were compared on overt and covert hostility. Results Overweight subjects scored significantly higher than normal-weight individuals on covert but not overt hostility. Similarly, subjects with a history of weight fluctuation scored significantly higher on covert hostility than subjects without a history of weight cycling. Subjects who reported more hostility scored higher on measures of eating disinhibition, hunger, and dietary helplessness. Discussion The relationships among hostility, dieting behaviors, and nutrition attitudes could not be explained on the basis of general distress alone. The findings supported the hypothesis that the relationship between hostility and health is mediated by the association between hostility and health-related behaviors. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 26: 37–42, 1999.

Objective This study investigated the relationship between eating and weight behaviors and functioning in individuals' families of origin. Method: Subjects were 237 women and 242 men enrolled in the RENO (Relationship of Energy, Nutrition, and Obesity) Diet-Heart Study, a prospective 5-year study of the effects of weight fluctuation on cardiovascular disease risk factors in normal weight and obese adults. Variables of primary interest included subjects' body mass index (BMI), age of onset of obesity, eating attitudes, lack of control while eating, and family functioning. Results: In men, higher family cohesion was related to healthier eating attitudes and better control over eating, controlling for age, BMI, and adaptability, whereas higher adaptability (changing rules and poor leadership) was related to earlier onset of obesity and more disturbed eating attitudes. Cohesion and adaptability were not related to body weight or eating variables in women. Discussion: The lower societal pressure on men to be thin may increase the importance of family factors in influencing their shape and weight. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 22: 213–218, 1997.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to compare obese versus nonobese adults and weight cyclers versus maintainers on measures of dietary helplessness, nutrition concern, dietary restraint, and disinhibition. Method: Dietary helplessness, nutrition concern, dietary restraint, and disinhibition were assessed in 385 healthy obese and nonobese men and women in the RENO Diet-Heart Study, a 5-year prospective investigation of cardiovascular risk factors, weight cycling, and lifestyle. Results: The results indicated that dietary helplessness and disinhibition were significantly greater in obese individuals, subjects with a history of weight cycling, and weight fluctuators (prospectively measured). Women were found to score significantly higher than men on measures of dietary helplessness, disinhibition, and cognitive restraint. Discussion: The role of nutrition attitudes is discussed in relation to dietary self-regulation, weight fluctuation, and management of body weight. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This investigation attempted to determine psychological correlates of weight fluctuation in a sample of 497 normal weight and obese adults who were enrolled in a prospective, natural history study. Subjects were stratified by gender, obesity, and age and classified as weight maintainers, gainers, or losers based on their changes in weight over a 1-year period. Subjects were further classified as either weight fluctuators or nonfluctuators based on historical self-report. Nonfluctuators reported significantly higher general well-being, greater eating self-efficacy, and lower stress than weight fluctuators, regardless of body weight. Weight maintainers had more favorable eating self-efficacy related to negative affect than weight gainers. Results suggest that weight fluctuation is strongly associated with negative psychological attributes in both normal weight and obese individuals. Future research should focus on the assessment and treatment of weight fluctuation and on weight maintenance, irrespective of weight status. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.