Exploring the relationship between food insecurity, exercise addiction, and muscularity-oriented eating behavior: a moderated mediation analysis of muscle dysmorphia and resilience

Evidence suggests that food insecurity (FI) is associated with body image concerns (e.g., muscle dysmorphia; MD), behavioral addictions, and disordered eating behaviors. This study aimed to investigate whether MD mediates the association between FI and risks of exercise addiction (EA) and muscularity-oriented eating (MOE), focusing on the moderating role of resilience. A total of 1,500 young Taiwanese young adults (Mage = 22.2 years, 38.3% males) completed the online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among the variables of interest. The significance of the moderated mediation model was assessed using bootstrapping. Results found that FI was indirectly associated with increased risks of EA (β = 0.431, [0.312, 0.563]) and MOE (β = 2.3, [1.707, 2.887]) through MD. A gender difference was noted, as FI was more strongly associated with the risk of MOE in males and EA in females. Furthermore, resilience moderated the meditation relationship linking FI to EA (index of moderated mediation = 0.066, [0.032, 0.105]) and MOE (index of moderated mediation = 0.341, [0.163, 0.528]). FI is potentially associated with behavioral addiction and disordered eating psychopathology through body image concerns. Strengthening resilience may help attenuate these adverse effects in young adults with food security issues. Not having reliable access to enough food, known as food insecurity, can affect mental health and behavior in young people. Based on a survey of 1500 young adults in Taiwan, food insecurity was linked to greater concern about muscular appearance, which in turn increased the risk of uncontrolled excessive exercise and muscularity-focused eating behaviors. Gender differences included that food insecurity was more strongly linked to muscularity-focused eating for men and uncontrolled excessive exercise for women. Importantly, higher levels of resilience, defined as the ability to cope with stress and adversity, reduced the strength of these associations. Overall, the results suggest that young people experiencing food insecurity may be more vulnerable to harmful body image concerns and related behaviors. Strengthening resilience and providing resources to address food insecurity may help protect against these adverse effects.