Hedonic Appetite, Inhibitory Control Training, and Food Consumption in Adolescents

Abstract

Hedonic appetite is a psychological and motivational process that refers to the drive to consume palatable foods for pleasure, rather than for physiological sustenance. Hedonic appetite can be associated with excess energy intake and dysregulated eating, which contribute to a variety of psychosocial and physical health challenges. Previous work indicates that hedonic appetite may fluctuate in adolescents. The present study piloted novel methodology designed to test whether hedonic appetite can be intentionally manipulated, and if changes relate to food consumption behavior. Adolescent participants (n=40; M age=15.1; 70% female) completed daily-diary surveys of hedonic appetite for six evenings prior to a lab visit. At the lab visit, participants were randomized to a Go/No Go (GNG) Intervention or Control Group, completed a measure of hedonic appetite, and participated in a lab “taste test” as an objective measure of palatable food consumption. A multilevel model was run to determine whether the GNG Intervention task resulted in decreased within-person (WP) hedonic appetite. Effect size estimates were calculated to evaluate whether changes in hedonic appetite were associated with palatable food intake, and power calculations were conducted. Results indicated that the GNG intervention did not result in significant changes in WP hedonic appetite in this sample. Findings included small-medium effect sizes for the relationship between Group and WP hedonic appetite; Group and Fatty, Fast Food, and Total consumption; as well as for WP hedonic appetite and Sweet, Fatty, and Total consumption. There were medium-large effect sizes for the relationship between Group and Sweet, and between WP hedonic appetite and Fast Food. The effect sizes for the total indirect effect of the mediation models were small-medium. Results of the power analysis estimated that some specific direct effects of the mediation models could yield .80 power with 200-2,000 participants. Though the GNG task did not change hedonic appetite in the present study, it may have effects on palatable food consumption in fully powered studies. Relationships among WP hedonic appetite and types of palatable food consumption merit further research. Proposed explanations for mechanisms of GNG training in the context of dietary behavior and ideas for future research are discussed.