COUNTER-REGULATORY EATING : A SINGAPOREAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

In the present study, a pilot study was conducted to examine the attitudes and ideas of Singaporean dieters using a qualitative research approach. The purpose of this was to determine if some of the commonly held assumptions present in theories used to explain the eating behaviors of American samples were true among Singaporean dieters. This pilot study was conducted through the use of interviews. Interviewees were obtained from three main sources; nutritionists/dieticians, people running slimming centres and persons currently attending slimming programs. An analysis of responses given by the interviewees found that Singaporean dieters did not show remarkably unusual ideas on dieting and eating. This suggests that the theories that have been advanced to account for the eating patterns of American samples are likely to be applicable within the Singaporean context. Apart from this, an experiment was conducted to explore the relationship between dieting, mood and eating. This present study used film induction to investigate the counterregulatory eating effect. Three mood states, namely positive, neutral and negative affect were induced to determine their effects on the eating patterns of restrained and unrestrained eaters. Restrained and unrestrained eaters were identified by the Restraint Scale (RS). Analysis of the amounts of chocolate eaten by restrained and unrestrained eaters following the respective mood inductions found that restrained eaters showed the counter-regulatory eating effect. Nonrestrainers on the other hand, did not show the counter-regulatory eating effect. More specifically, restrained subjects ate more in the positive and negative mood conditions than in the neutral mood condition. Unrestrained subjects on the other hand, did not show significantly different eating patterns across the three mood conditions. Interestingly, the differential effect of mood on restrained and unrestrained eaters was nonsignificant when the data was reanalyzed using scores obtained in the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Implications of these results are discussed within the framework of the counterregulatory eating effect and the three factor model of eating.