Low-income people are more likely to engage in emotional eating and become obese due to psychological distress, a study published by a group of researchers from the University of Liverpool suggested.
The study analyzed the diets and psychological issues of 150 people in northwest England and its results were published in the journal Obesity, John Tung Foundation Mental Health Center director Yeh Ya-hsing (葉雅馨) said on Monday.
The study found a correlation between lower socioeconomic status and higher psychological distress, as well as between heightened psychological distress and emotional eating, and high risks of obesity, she said.
Compared with people living in more affluent communities, those living in poorer neighborhoods have easier access to low-cost and high-calorie foods, Yeh said, citing the study.
The study also found a correlation between psychological distress and eating behavior and body weight adjustment, she said.
Emotional eating refers to eating “mindlessly” and without any moderation, Yeh said.
People are likely to exceed the recommended daily maximum calorie intake and become obese if they continuously engage in emotional eating as a way to relieve stress, she said.
Emotional eating might bring a sense of pleasure and satisfaction, but those feelings would be quickly replaced by negative emotions, Yeh said.
Rather than restricting their diet, people can calculate the calories of the food they are about to eat and associate the calories with the exercise they have to do to burn them, she said.
This way, people can think about the hours they would need to spend exercising to burn the excess calories even when they are out of control emotionally, Yeh said, adding that people should make a habit of this.
Rich people who are bored or idle are also a high-risk group for obesity, she said.
Differences in socioeconomic status cause health inequality, as people from a lower socioeconomic background are at a disadvantage when seeking healthcare, Taipei Medical University professor Chiou Hung-yi (邱弘毅) said.
Obesity is a key factor affecting people’s health, he said.
“The government should strive to create a dietary environment in which people from different socioeconomic status have access to healthier diets and avoid obesity risks,” Chiou said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS