Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: May 15, 2025
Date Accepted: Oct 10, 2025
Inhibitory Control, Attentional Bias, and Palatable Food Consumption in Adolescents: Results from a Laboratory Pilot Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Understanding relationships between inhibitory control (IC), attentional bias to food cues, and food consumption in non-clinical adolescent samples can inform preventive efforts for disordered eating and associated health risk.
Objective:
The present study evaluated the impact of an inhibitory control (IC) training intervention on attentional bias toward food cues, hedonic appetite, and food consumption, as well as IC’s relationship with hedonic appetite, food consumption, binge eating, and cognitive restraint.
Methods:
Participants (n=43 M age=15.1; 70% female) were randomized to a food-cue specific Go/No Go (GNG) IC training Intervention or Control Group, participated in a lab “taste test”, and completed surveys and a dietary recall. Additional data was collected for sub-samples through an eye tracking task (n=15), and cognitive tasks (n=19).
Results:
The GNG intervention resulted in preliminary associations with attentional bias toward food cues. IC was significantly associated with sugar consumption via dietary recall (F=18.5, p < .01), and marginally associated with binge eating symptoms (F=4.53, p =.05), and cognitive restraint (F=4.05; p = .06).
Conclusions:
The role of IC should be examined in larger studies to inform strategies for promotion of healthy eating behavior and prevention of disordered eating in adolescents. Clinical Trial: n/a
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