Influence Of Eating Behavior Traits On Changes In Unhealthy Snacking During A Brisk Walking Intervention

PURPOSE: US adults snack about three times per day, contributing ~22% to total daily energy intake. Unhealthy snacks, which are high in energy, sugar, and fat, are positively associated with adverse health outcomes. It is unclear how unhealthy snacking behaviors change in response to starting an exercise program or whether these changes are influenced by individual eating behavior traits such as cognitive restraint (CR), emotional eating (EE), or uncontrolled eating (UE). METHODS: Previously inactive, pre-menopausal women (n = 98, age 35.9 ± 6.1, 76% white non-Hispanic, BMI 29.8 ± 8.2) completed an 8-week walking intervention with the aim of accumulating 150-minutes of MVPA each week. ActiGraph GT3X+ monitors were worn for one week at baseline and throughout the intervention to measure changes in MVPA. Dietary variables were measured via the National Cancer Institute’s ASA24 program on randomly selected days (3d at baseline, 6d during the intervention). Snack episodes were self-defined, with unhealthy snacks identified as those containing foods high in total fat (≥20%) or sugar (≥15%), excluding beverages. Participants completed the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) at baseline to assess UE, CR, and EE behaviors. RESULTS: Caloric intake from unhealthy snacks did not significantly change during the intervention (-37.9 kcal, p = 0.09) but the frequency of unhealthy daily snacking was reduced (-0.14 ± 0.32, p = 0.02). After adjusting for baseline levels, TFEQ measured UE (19.56 ± 5.37) and CR scores (16.31 ± 3.72) independently predicted changes in unhealthy snack caloric intake. Specifically, for each unit increase in UE, unhealthy snack intake increased by 8.21 kcal (p = 0.03). Conversely, for each unit increase in CR, unhealthy snack intake was associated with a 12.12 kcal decrease (p = 0.02). EE was not significantly associated with unhealthy snacking. CONCLUSIONS: Among previously inactive pre-menopausal women, increasing MVPA via a brisk walking program did not result in overall adverse compensatory changes in unhealthy snacking. However, baseline eating behavior traits were observed to influence changes in unhealthy snacking, with TFEQ scores for higher UE and lower CR predicted increased unhealthy snacking behavior during the intervention. Supported by: Grant Funding: NHLBI-1R21HL113742-01