Gemesi Kathrin, Holzmann Sophie Laura, Kaiser Birgit, Wintergerst Monika, Lurz Martin, Groh Georg, Böhm Markus, Krcmar Helmut, Gedrich Kurt, Hauner Hans, Holzapfel Christina
Institute for Nutritional Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Georg-Brauchle-Ring 62, 80992, Munich, Germany.
Research Group Public Health Nutrition, ZIEL - Institute for Food & Health, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
BMC Public Health. 2022 Feb 24;22(1):391. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-12787-9.
In many people, stress is associated with changes in eating behaviour. Food products consumed during stress (comfort foods) are often unhealthy. It is rather unknown what comfort foods are consumed in Germany and what healthier food products are considered as alternatives to support stress-eaters in making healthier food choices.
This online survey was conducted in spring 2021 throughout Germany. Participants were digitally recruited by newsletters, homepages, social media, and mailing lists. The survey included a standardized questionnaire with items concerning e.g. sociodemography, stress, and nutrition. Comfort foods were pre-selected through literature search and food substitutes were defined and discussed by experts. Analyses examined comfort food consumption and substitute preferences dependent on sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and being a self-identified stress-eater. The statistical analysis was performed using R.
Survey participants were mostly female (80.6%, 994/1234), had a mean age of 31.4 ± 12.8 years and a mean BMI of 23.4 ± 4.3 kg/m. Participants stated, that the two favourite comfort foods were chocolate (consumed often/very often by 48.3%, 596/1234) and coffee (consumed often/very often by 45.9%, 566/1234). Regarding food substitutes, the most frequently named alternative food for chocolate and cookies was fresh fruits (for chocolate: 74.4%, 815/1096, for cookies: 62.6%, 565/902). Tea without added sugar (64.4%, 541/840) was the preferred substitute for coffee. Almost 50% of participants (48.1%, 594/1234) identified themselves as stress-eaters, of which 68.9% (408/592) stated to eat (very) often more than usual in subjective stress situations.
The results from this work suggest that specific comfort foods and substitutes are preferred by the participants in stressful situations. This knowledge about food choices and substitutes should be investigated in further studies to improve eating behaviour in stressful situations.
The survey was registered in the German Register of Clinical Studies (Registration number: DRKS00023984 ).
在许多人当中，压力与饮食行为的改变有关。压力期间食用的食品（慰藉食品）往往不健康。在德国，人们食用哪些慰藉食品，以及哪些更健康的食品可被视为替代品，以帮助压力进食者做出更健康的食物选择，目前尚不清楚。
这项在线调查于2021年春季在德国全国范围内进行。通过时事通讯、主页、社交媒体和邮件列表以数字方式招募参与者。该调查包括一份标准化问卷，其中包含有关社会人口统计学、压力和营养等方面的问题。通过文献检索预先选择慰藉食品，并由专家定义和讨论食物替代品。分析根据性别、年龄、体重指数（BMI）以及自我认定为压力进食者的情况，研究慰藉食品的消费情况和替代品偏好。使用R进行统计分析。
调查参与者大多为女性（80.6%，994/1234），平均年龄为31.4±12.8岁，平均BMI为23.4±4.3kg/m²。参与者表示，最喜欢的两种慰藉食品是巧克力（经常/非常经常食用的占48.3%，596/1234）和咖啡（经常/非常经常食用的占45.9%，566/1234）。关于食物替代品，巧克力和饼干最常被提及的替代食品是新鲜水果（巧克力：74.4%，815/1096；饼干：62.6%，565/902）。不加糖的茶（64.4%，541/840）是咖啡的首选替代品。近50%的参与者（48.1%，594/1234）认为自己是压力进食者，其中68.9%（408/592）表示在主观压力情境下（非常）经常比平时吃得更多。
这项研究的结果表明，参与者在压力情境下更喜欢特定的慰藉食品和替代品。关于食物选择和替代品的这些知识应在进一步研究中进行调查，以改善压力情境下的饮食行为。
该调查已在德国临床研究注册中心注册（注册号：DRKS00023984）。
