Cue-Elicited Anxiety and Craving for Food Using Virtual Reality Scenarios.

Cue-elicited anxiety and craving for food using virtual reality scenarios.

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2013; 191: 105-9
Ferrer-García M, Gutiérrez-Maldonado J, Pla J

Cue exposure therapy has been reported to be an effective intervention for reducing binge eating behavior in patients with eating disorders and obesity. However, in vivo food exposure conducted in the therapist’s office presents logistical problems and lacks ecological validity. This study proposes the use of virtual reality technology as an alternative to in vivo exposure, and assesses the ability of different virtual environments to elicit anxiety and craving for food in a non-clinical sample. The results show that exposure to virtual environments provokes changes in reported craving for food. High-calorie food cues are the ones that elicit the highest increases in craving. HubMed – eating

Electronic Media and Beverage Intake among United States High School Students-2010.

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2013 Jun 20;
Demissie Z, Lowry R, Eaton DK, Park S, Kann L

To describe electronic media exposure and its associations with beverage intake among United States high school students.School-based survey data from a nationally representative sample of 9th- through 12th-grade students from the National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study were analyzed using chi-square and multivariate logistic analyses.On an average school day, 23.5% of students used a computer or played video/computer games ? 3 h/d, 28.3% watched television (TV) ? 3 h/d, 79.9% had ? 3 TVs in the home, 70.2% had a TV in their bedroom, and 41.0% most of the time or always had a TV on while eating dinner at home. Students with high media exposure were more likely to drink sugar-sweetened beverages ? 3 times per day and less likely to drink water ? 3 times per day and drink ? 2 glasses of milk per day.Efforts to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake among adolescents may include limiting exposure to electronic media. HubMed – eating

Factors and Barriers Associated with Early Adoption of Nutrition Guidelines in Alberta, Canada.

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2013 Jun 20;
Quintanilha M, Downs S, Lieffers J, Berry T, Farmer A, McCargar LJ

To identify factors that influenced early adoption and implementation of the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth (ANGCY) in schools in Alberta, Canada; and to identify healthy eating strategies that were implemented as a result of the guidelines. Barriers and facilitators were also investigated.Multiple case study design (n = 3). Semi-structured interviews and direct observations were used to collect data.Three schools in Alberta were selected for individual case studies. Eighteen key informants were interviewed from the 3 cases.To investigate how the motivation shown by school administration and stakeholders for the ANGCY influenced the early adoption and implementation of the guidelines.Content analysis was used to analyze data.Various healthy eating strategies were implemented within the 3 cases after uptake of the guidelines. Support from the school superintendent and the work of a health champion facilitated the adoption and implementation of the guidelines, whereas parents posed some barriers to the adoption and implementation of the ANGCY.This study reinforces the importance of identifying a health champion to oversee healthy eating strategies in schools, and of involving parents in the promotion of children’s healthy lifestyles. HubMed – eating

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt – Kim Andersen discusses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.