Adolescence is a formative period for the development of dietary habits, characterized by increasing autonomy in food choices and heightened susceptibility to social influences. Although numerous studies have examined social-psychological determinants of adolescent eating, the evidence remains conceptually, theoretically, and methodologically fragmented. This scoping review mapped social-psychological factors associated with adolescents’ nutritional habits and examined the methodological and theoretical characteristics of this research. Following the Participant–Concept–Context framework, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus were systematically searched for peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative empirical studies published since 2000 involving adolescents aged 10–19 years. A total of 101 studies were included. Social norms, social modeling, peer and family influence, social support, self-efficacy, attitudes, and motivation emerged as prominent determinants of adolescent nutritional habits. Importantly, social influences were not inherently health-promoting or health-decreasing; their effects depended substantially on their behavioral and normative valence. The evidence base was dominated by cross-sectional research, with comparatively few longitudinal, experimental, or intervention studies. Analysis of the theoretical approaches used in the studies revealed that forty-one studies lacked an explicit theoretical foundation, while the extent to which theoretical frameworks informed hypotheses, study design, and interpretation varied considerably across the remaining studies. The mechanisms linking social identity (n = 3) to dietary behavior and the role of developmental differences within adolescence (n = 2) were comparatively underexamined. Based on these findings, we propose an integrative social-psychological framework distinguishing four interrelated levels of influence: individual processes, social identities, interpersonal social processes, and the broader social context, which may support the design of theoretically more informed studies targeting adolescent nutritional behavior.
A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying eating behavior is crucial for preventing and treating obesity and eating-related disorders. Gastric interoceptive sensitivity, defined as the perceptual threshold of satiation and fullness, is a key physiological marker of meal termination. Although stress is known to influence eating behavior, its impact on the relationship between gastric interoception and food intake remains insufficiently understood. This study behaviorally examined the association between gastric interoceptive sensitivity and snack consumption under high- and low-stress conditions, while accounting for individual eating traits. In 61 fasted adults, gastric interoceptive sensitivity and self-determined snack intake were assessed following both a stress and a control task across four laboratory sessions. Gastric interoceptive sensitivity was measured using a novel paradigm, the Magic Table (MT). Multilevel analyses showed that both satiation and fullness perception thresholds were significantly associated with snack consumption. Under stress, however, only the fullness threshold remained significantly related to snack intake. Higher emotional and restrained eating scores were linked to a weaker association between gastric interoceptive sensitivity and snack intake, whereas higher uncontrolled eating scores showed the opposite pattern. These findings suggest that satiation and fullness signals guide snack termination under low stress, whereas acute stress and certain eating styles weaken the coupling between gastric signals and behavioral regulation. Dysregulated eating may therefore reflect impaired integration of interoceptive input into decision-making, particularly under stress. Beyond enhancing interoceptive sensitivity, studies on interoceptive-focused interventions may benefit from strengthening the integration of satiation signals into eating decisions, especially in stressful contexts.
Food avoidant eating behaviours in children are negatively associated with vegetable intake and diet quality. However, little is known about trajectories of food avoidance during infancy. This study examined food avoidant trajectory groups in the first year of life and their associations with fussiness and vegetable intake. Australian parents of infants aged ≤4 months were recruited for a longitudinal study. Data from waves 1–5 (up to 12 months) were used. Food avoidance was measured via parent report of satiety responsiveness and slowness in eating using the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire at waves 1–4. Food fussiness was measured using the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire at wave 5. Vegetable intake at 12 months was assessed using a validated food frequency question. Group-based trajectory analysis identified food avoidance groups from waves 1–4. Associations with fussiness and vegetable intake were assessed using multiple linear and ordinal logistic regression. There was complete data for 330 participants (327 mothers). Three trajectory groups were identified (least, intermediate, and most avoidant), with food avoidance decreasing slightly over time. Compared to the most avoidant group, the least avoidant (β - 0.76 [CI -1.01, −0.51], p < 0.001) and intermediate groups (β - 0.57 [CI -0.80, −0.34], p < 0.001) exhibited lower levels of fussiness at 12 months. There were no significant associations between trajectory groups and vegetable intake. Given the predominance of mothers in the sample, further investigation into food avoidance trajectories, in diverse parent samples, the factors that influence them, and their relationship with dietary intake from infancy throughout childhood may be useful for informing early healthy eating interventions.
Food choices often involve conflict between immediate hedonic appeal and long-term health goals, but the influence of auditory context on decision processes remains unclear. This study examined food-choice behaviour and model-estimated decision processes in 52 university athletes (26 open-skill, 26 closed-skill) who completed a two-alternative forced-choice task between healthy and unhealthy foods under three auditory conditions: quiet, natural sound, and industrial noise. Mixed-effects models analysed reaction times and healthy-choice probability; a drift diffusion model (DDM) was used to estimate boundary separation, drift rate, non-decision time, and starting-point bias. Auditory condition significantly affected reaction time (F(2, 22513) = 15.90, p < 0.001), although unadjusted mean differences were modest (maximum: 29 ms). Sport group, auditory condition, and their interaction showed no significant effects on healthy-choice probability. Boundary separation differed across conditions (F(2, 100) = 7.558, p < 0.001), with lower estimates under natural sound (M = 1.543) and industrial noise (M = 1.536) than quiet (M = 1.607). Non-decision time showed a sport group × auditory condition interaction (F(2, 100) = 3.546, p = 0.033), with longer estimates under industrial noise primarily observed in open-skill athletes. Drift rate and starting-point bias showed no significant effects. Exploratory analysis identified an auditory condition × sport group × sex interaction for boundary separation (F(2, 96) = 4.230, p = 0.017). Background sound was associated with response timing and specific model-estimated decision parameters without detectable changes in healthy-choice probability. Applicability to real-world eating behaviour requires further investigation.
