Revisiting perceived hunger; an examination of lived experiences and research practices

The scholarly study of hunger reflects varying theoretical and conceptual approaches, methodological concerns, and sampling issues. The present thesis endeavoured to explore gaps between research practices and lived experiences that would advance our understanding of hunger and expand awareness of psychological influences associated with hunger. The first study was a systematised mapping review identifying methods used to operationalise the physiological, neurological, and psychological components implicated in hunger. Results suggest researchers predominantly rely on physiological measures over neurological or psychological components. The lack of a unified approach assessing psychological components suggested an exploration of participant accounts of hunger as a lived experience would provide depth on the topic. A variety of nuanced responses were sought using interviews and focus groups, so three types of participants were selected based on their responsibility for feeding others and distinct energy and dietary requirements: vegetarians and vegans, athletes, and mothers of school-aged children (N = 34). In the third study, a novel instrument, the Hunger and Fullness, Tolerance and Avoidance (HaFTaA) scales, was developed by drawing on insights from the literature and qualitative data gathered during the second study. Following a review by experts, validity of the scales was examined using exploratory factor analysis (N = 800). Results demonstrated adequate internal consistency, concordance between males and females for two distinct factors of hunger and fullness, and temporal stability over 4-weeks. In study four, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and indices of validity were assessed (N = 818). Validity was evidenced using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-R18), Hunger beliefs, Compensatory Unhealthy Eating Scale (CUES), and body mass index (BMI), suggesting the HaFTaA measure is valid for use in future research. These findings will contribute to theoretical frameworks assessing psychological dimensions of appetite, streamlining identification of mechanisms associated with dysregulated eating and thereby improving health outcomes across the population.