Stress Reduction Can Decrease Consumption of Unhealthy Food

Study finds that lifestyle intervention targeting stress improved the diet of overweight mothers. Low-income mothers of young kids were found to eat fewer fast-food meals and high-fat snacks after participating in the study. The 16-week intervention aimed to prevent weight gain by promoting stress management, healthy eating, and physical activity. It involved following simple steps from lessons on time management and prioritizing, demonstrated through videos starring mothers like the study’s participants.

The intervention focused on showing the women examples of how they could achieve a healthier and less stressful lifestyle than tell them what they had to change. With the videos, researchers increased awareness of stressors in life and ways to control negative emotions.

Participants were 338 overweight or obese low-income mothers aged 18 to 39. To be eligible for the intervention, an annual household income less than 185 percent of the federal poverty line was required.

For the trial, 212 participants were randomly categorized into the intervention group. They watched ten videos with women giving unscripted testimonials about healthy eating, food preparation, managing stress, and being physically active. They also were a part of 10 peer support group teleconferences for the study.

Data analysis revealed that a decrease in participants’ perceived stress after participating in the intervention resulted in decreased consumption of high-fat and fast foods. Almost a 7% reduction in high-fat food consumption was linked to a 1-point reduction in the scale measuring stress.

Mei-Wei Chang, lead author, explained, "We used the women's testimonies in the videos and showed their interactions with their families to raise awareness about stressors. After watching the videos, a lot of intervention participants said, 'This is the first time I've realized I am so stressed out' - because they've lived a stressful life."

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He added that many participants were aware of feeling impatient, having head and neck pain, and sleeping problems, but they didn't know they were signs of stress.

"It's not that these women didn't want to eat healthier," Chang said. "If you don't know how to manage stress, then when you are so stressed out, why would you care about what you eat?"

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Source-Medindia