LAUSR

PurposeContemporary research investigating obesity has focused on grazing (i.e., an uncontrolled and repetitive consumption of small amounts of food). Meanwhile, the association between grazing and motivations or actual consumption of energy-dense foods as explanatory factors has not been explored in current weight regulation research.MethodsThe association among grazing, motivations to eat palatable foods and fat and sugar consumption were explored in a cross-sectional study with university students (n = 318) who were recruited to participate in an online study.ResultsResults indicated that both motivations to eat palatable foods and fat and sugar consumption were positively related to grazing, but only motivations to eat palatable foods explained the positive relationship between grazing and current weight.ConclusionMotivations to eat palatable foods appears to be more explanatory of grazing in the sphere of weight regulation and grazing than the actual consumption of fat and sugar. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed.Level V: Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience, descriptive studies or reports of expert committees.