Reasons for meal termination, eating frequency, and typical meal context differ between persons with and without a spinal cord injury

Gary J Farkas; Paige M Cunningham; Alicia M Sneij; John E Hayes; Mark S Nash; Arthur S Berg; David R Gater; Barbara J Rolls

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2023.107110

Reasons for meal termination, eating frequency, and typical meal context differ between persons with and without a spinal cord injury

Appetite. 2024 Jan 1:192:107110. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107110. Epub 2023 Nov 7.

Authors

Gary J Farkas¹, Paige M Cunningham², Alicia M Sneij³, John E Hayes⁴, Mark S Nash⁵, Arthur S Berg⁶, David R Gater⁵, Barbara J Rolls²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA; Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA. Electronic address: gjf50@med.miami.edu.
² Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
³ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
⁴ Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
⁵ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA; Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
⁶ Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.

PMID: 37939729
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107110

Abstract

Overeating associated with neurogenic obesity after spinal cord injury (SCI) may be related to how persons with SCI experience satiation (processes leading to meal termination), their eating frequency, and the context in which they eat their meals. In an online, cross-sectional study, adults with (n = 688) and without (Controls; n = 420) SCI completed the Reasons Individuals Stop Eating Questionnaire-15 (RISE-Q-15), which measures individual differences in the experience of factors contributing to meal termination on five scales: Physical Satisfaction, Planned Amount, Decreased Food Appeal, Self-Consciousness, and Decreased Priority of Eating. Participants also reported weekly meal and snack frequency and who prepares, serves, and eats dinner with them at a typical dinner meal. Analysis revealed that while Physical Satisfaction, Planned Amount, and Decreased Food Appeal were reported as the most frequent drivers of meal termination in both groups, scores for the RISE-Q-15 scales differed across the groups. Compared to Controls, persons with SCI reported Physical Satisfaction and Planned Amount as drivers of meal termination less frequently, and Decreased Food Appeal and Decreased Priority of Eating more frequently (all p < 0.001). This suggests that persons with SCI rely less on physiological satiation cues for meal termination than Controls and instead rely more on hedonic cues. Compared to Controls, persons with SCI less frequently reported preparing and serving dinner meals and less frequently reported eating alone (all p < 0.001), indicating differences in meal contexts between groups. Individuals with SCI reported consuming fewer meals than Controls but reported a higher overall eating frequency due to increased snacking (p ≤ 0.015). A decrease in the experience of physical fullness, along with a dependence on a communal meal context and frequent snacking, likely contribute to overeating associated with neurogenic obesity after SCI.

Keywords: Eating; Meals; Obesity; Satiation; Spinal cord injury.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Eating
Energy Intake*
Feeding Behavior*
Humans
Hyperphagia
Meals
Obesity