What question did this study set out to answer?

This investigation examines how perceived stress mediates the relationship between food insecurity and diet quality, along with maladaptive eating behaviors.

April 7, 2026NutrientsOpen Access

Perceived Stress and Associations Between Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, and Eating Behaviors: Evidence from Two Cross-Sectional Studies in U.S. Samples

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

This investigation examines how perceived stress mediates the relationship between food insecurity and diet quality, along with maladaptive eating behaviors.
Utilized cross-sectional data from two U.S. studies with diverse samples
Employed self-report measures to assess food security, perceived stress, diet quality, and eating behaviors
Conducted mediation analyses to determine indirect effects while controlling for sociodemographic factors
In Study 1, food insecurity correlated positively with perceived stress (r = 0.30) and negatively with diet quality (r = -0.11)
Perceived stress mediated the association between food insecurity and reward-based eating (indirect effect = 0.14)
In Study 2, food insecurity positively correlated with perceived stress (r = 0.42) and comfort eating (r = 0.19)
Perceived stress mediated comfort eating frequency in food-insecure individuals (conditional indirect effect = 0.75)

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Implication

Cross-sectional studies demonstrate that perceived stress mediates food insecurity's effects on eating behaviors and diet quality, implying complex interactions.

Cite This Study

Figueroa et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69d4a00eb33cc4c35a22874f https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18071153

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Cross-sectional studies demonstrate that perceived stress mediates food insecurity's effects on eating behaviors and diet quality, implying complex interactions.

Perceived Stress and Associations Between Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, and Eating Behaviors: Evidence from Two Cross-Sectional Studies in U.S. Samples

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Perceived Stress and Associations Between Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, and Eating Behaviors: Evidence from Two Cross-Sectional Studies in U.S. Samples

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider