Food Perceptions in Adults with and without ADHD

Shirley Hershko, Samuele Cortese, Eyal Ert, Anna Aronis, Adina Maeir, Yehuda Pollak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have unhealthy eating habits, associated with overweight/obesity. We explored whether they present with different food-related benefit/risk perceptions, compared to those without ADHD. Methods: One hundred five university students with (n = 36) and without (n = 69) ADHD, aged 22-30, participated in the study. They rated the level of frequency and likelihood of food consumption, as well as the perceived attractiveness, convenience, and risk of 32 healthy and unhealthy food items. Results: The findings revealed significantly lower healthy/unhealthy food frequency consumption ratios for the ADHD group compared with the non-ADHD one but no differences in the ratios of estimated likelihood of food consumption and perceptions (attractiveness, convenience, and risk). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated a discrepancy between the eating behavior (more unhealthy eating patterns in adults with ADHD compared with controls) and their food-related perceptions (same perceptions regarding the benefit and risk of foods in both groups).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)292-300
Number of pages9
JournalPsychopathology
Volume55
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Aug 2022

Keywords

  • Adults
  • Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder
  • Eat
  • Food
  • Perceptions

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Clinical Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Food Perceptions in Adults with and without ADHD'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this