Functions of Dietary Restriction and Unique Associations With Mood States Among Young Adults With Food Insecurity: Findings From an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Objective: Limited research has examined the function or consequences of dietary restriction among individuals for whom it may serve differential purposes, such as those with food insecurity. Indeed, food insecurity may uniquely relate to differential functions for engaging in dietary restriction, which may relate to subsequent changes in mood; this study sought to assess these associations. Method: A subsample of 77 young adults from the Minnesota-based EAT (Eating and Activity over Time) cohort with food insecurity (M_age = 25.2 ± 1.8 years; Women = 72.7%; Black = 18.2%; Latinx = 19.5%; Asian = 18.2%; White = 27.3%) reported on state-level functions for dietary restriction (financial only, weight-control only, or both) versus no restriction, and state-level mood, via ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Demographics-adjusted linear mixed models were conducted to examine the function of dietary restriction since the last EMA signal and current mood. Results: Across a 14-day EMA period, 29.9% of observations involved dietary restriction due to financial functions only, 6.2% involved dietary restriction due to both financial and weight-control functions, and 3.0% involved restriction for weight-control functions only. Compared to instances of no dietary restriction, overall negative mood was higher after engaging in dietary restriction for both functions (B = 0.43; p = 0.002), but not for financial (B = 0.12; p = 0.14) or weight-control (B = 0.30; p = 0.06) functions only. Discussion: These findings suggest dual-purpose dietary restriction (i.e., for both financial and weight-control) is common in young adults with food insecurity and may influence mood; thus, it may be an important intervention target.