Date of Award

5-2022

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Nutrition and Dietetics BS

Department

Nutrition and Food Systems

First Advisor

Holly Huye, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Scotty Piland, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Sabine Heinhorst, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

Nutrition and Food Systems

Abstract

Emotional eating is a commonly reported eating behavior among United States adults; however, previous literature has indicated that the development of emotional eating is abnormal with regard to the body’s typical physiologic functioning. Although several studies have shown parental feeding practices correlate to the development of emotional eating in children, little research has been done to explore the association between parental feeding practices experienced in childhood and eating behaviors present in adulthood. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between parental feeding practices in childhood (i.e., food as a reward, monitoring, restriction, and pressure to eat) and current eating behaviors as a young adult (i.e., food as a reward, monitoring, restriction, and emotional eating). Data were collected from undergraduate students at the University of Southern Mississippi using an online questionnaire. Results of this study show a positive correlation between parents using food as a reward in childhood and students currently using food to reward themselves. Additionally, a positive correlation existed between parents using food as a reward in childhood and current emotional eating behaviors.

Keywords: emotional eating, parental feeding practices, food as a reward, food restriction, food monitoring, BMI

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Nutrition Commons

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