Many people turn to food when they're feeling stressed, tired, or even bored, according to the Mayo Clinic, but now researchers have discovered another reason you may be eating when you're not actually hungry: childhood poverty.
"Our research shows that growing up poor promotes eating in the absence of hunger in adulthood, regardless of one's wealth in adulthood," Sarah Hill, a psychological scientist at Texas Christian University, told Eurekalert. "These findings are important because they suggest that a person's developmental history may play a key role in their relationship with food and weight management."
Hill and her colleagues probed the relationship between childhood poverty and obesity with several experiments, including one in which they allowed participants to eat leftover cookies and pretzels between parts of the study. Later, the women completed a survey that asked whether their family had enough money growing up and how wealthy their neighborhood was, according to Eurekalert.
The researchers observed that among participants who reported not being very hungry, those who came from impoverished background consumed more leftovers than other participants.
Other research established a connection between low income and obesity risk. According to the Food Research and Action Center, people who chronically do not have enough to eat often engage in cycles where they eat less or skip meals to stretch their food budget, then overeat when food becomes available again. Mothers, in particular, may sacrifice their own food so their children have enough to eat.
Members of low-income families also have higher levels of stress and poorer mental health as a result of financial and emotional pressure, according to FRAC. They have fewer opportunities for outdoor recreation, limited access to healthcare and more exposure to advertising promoting products that contribute to obesity.
Most of all, they lack access to healthy food, in many cases because they live in neighborhoods without a full-service grocery store or farmer's market, and they don't own a car to get to one. Fast-food outlets are plentiful, however, and less expensive than buying healthy food, FRAC reports.
Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. live in a "food desert," meaning that they are more than half a mile from a grocery store and don't own a car, according to National Geographic.
"We were surprised by the lasting impact that one's childhood environment plays in guiding food intake in adulthood," said Hill to Eurekalert. "We were also surprised by the fact that one's level of wealth in adulthood had almost no impact on patterns of food intake."
"Our research suggests that people who grew up in relatively impoverished environments may have a harder time controlling food intake and managing their body weight than those who grew up in wealthier environments," explains Hill.
"Our research shows that growing up poor promotes eating in the absence of hunger in adulthood, regardless of one's wealth in adulthood," Sarah Hill, a psychological scientist at Texas Christian University, told Eurekalert. "These findings are important because they suggest that a person's developmental history may play a key role in their relationship with food and weight management."
Hill and her colleagues probed the relationship between childhood poverty and obesity with several experiments, including one in which they allowed participants to eat leftover cookies and pretzels between parts of the study. Later, the women completed a survey that asked whether their family had enough money growing up and how wealthy their neighborhood was, according to Eurekalert.
The researchers observed that among participants who reported not being very hungry, those who came from impoverished background consumed more leftovers than other participants.
Other research established a connection between low income and obesity risk. According to the Food Research and Action Center, people who chronically do not have enough to eat often engage in cycles where they eat less or skip meals to stretch their food budget, then overeat when food becomes available again. Mothers, in particular, may sacrifice their own food so their children have enough to eat.
Members of low-income families also have higher levels of stress and poorer mental health as a result of financial and emotional pressure, according to FRAC. They have fewer opportunities for outdoor recreation, limited access to healthcare and more exposure to advertising promoting products that contribute to obesity.
Most of all, they lack access to healthy food, in many cases because they live in neighborhoods without a full-service grocery store or farmer's market, and they don't own a car to get to one. Fast-food outlets are plentiful, however, and less expensive than buying healthy food, FRAC reports.
Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. live in a "food desert," meaning that they are more than half a mile from a grocery store and don't own a car, according to National Geographic.
"We were surprised by the lasting impact that one's childhood environment plays in guiding food intake in adulthood," said Hill to Eurekalert. "We were also surprised by the fact that one's level of wealth in adulthood had almost no impact on patterns of food intake."
"Our research suggests that people who grew up in relatively impoverished environments may have a harder time controlling food intake and managing their body weight than those who grew up in wealthier environments," explains Hill.
