Visual attention to food cues in obesity: an eye-tracking study.

Autor: Doolan KJ; Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, UK., Breslin G, Hanna D, Murphy K, Gallagher AM
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) [Obesity (Silver Spring)] 2014 Dec; Vol. 22 (12), pp. 2501-7. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Sep 08.
DOI: 10.1002/oby.20884
Abstrakt: Objective: Based on the theory of incentive sensitization, the aim of this study was to investigate differences in attentional processing of food-related visual cues between normal-weight and overweight/obese males and females.
Methods: Twenty-six normal-weight (14M, 12F) and 26 overweight/obese (14M, 12F) adults completed a visual probe task and an eye-tracking paradigm. Reaction times and eye movements to food and control images were collected during both a fasted and fed condition in a counterbalanced design.
Results: Participants had greater visual attention towards high-energy-density food images compared to low-energy-density food images regardless of hunger condition. This was most pronounced in overweight/obese males who had significantly greater maintained attention towards high-energy-density food images when compared with their normal-weight counterparts however no between weight group differences were observed for female participants.
Conclusions: High-energy-density food images appear to capture visual attention more readily than low-energy-density food images. Results also suggest the possibility of an altered visual food cue-associated reward system in overweight/obese males. Attentional processing of food cues may play a role in eating behaviors thus should be taken into consideration as part of an integrated approach to curbing obesity.
(© 2014 The Obesity Society.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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