TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethical, stigma, and policy implications of food addiction
T2 - A scoping review
AU - Cassin, Stephanie E.
AU - Buchman, Daniel Z.
AU - Leung, Samantha E.
AU - Kantarovich, Karin
AU - Hawa, Aceel
AU - Carter, Adrian
AU - Sockalingam, Sanjeev
PY - 2019/4/1
Y1 - 2019/4/1
N2 - The concept of food addiction has generated much controversy. In comparison to research examining the construct of food addiction and its validity, relatively little research has examined the broader implications of food addiction. The purpose of the current scoping review was to examine the potential ethical, stigma, and health policy implications of food addiction. Major themes were identified in the literature, and extensive overlap was identified between several of the themes. Ethics sub-themes related primarily to individual responsibility and included: (i) personal control, will power, and choice; and (ii) blame and weight bias. Stigma sub-themes included: (i) the impact on self-stigma and stigma from others, (ii) the differential impact of substance use disorder versus behavioral addiction on stigma, and (iii) the additive stigma of addiction plus obesity and/or eating disorder. Policy implications were broadly derived from comparisons to the tobacco industry and focused on addictive foods as opposed to food addiction. This scoping review underscored the need for increased awareness of food addiction and the role of the food industry, empirical research to identify specific hyperpalatable food substances, and policy interventions that are not simply extrapolated from tobacco.
AB - The concept of food addiction has generated much controversy. In comparison to research examining the construct of food addiction and its validity, relatively little research has examined the broader implications of food addiction. The purpose of the current scoping review was to examine the potential ethical, stigma, and health policy implications of food addiction. Major themes were identified in the literature, and extensive overlap was identified between several of the themes. Ethics sub-themes related primarily to individual responsibility and included: (i) personal control, will power, and choice; and (ii) blame and weight bias. Stigma sub-themes included: (i) the impact on self-stigma and stigma from others, (ii) the differential impact of substance use disorder versus behavioral addiction on stigma, and (iii) the additive stigma of addiction plus obesity and/or eating disorder. Policy implications were broadly derived from comparisons to the tobacco industry and focused on addictive foods as opposed to food addiction. This scoping review underscored the need for increased awareness of food addiction and the role of the food industry, empirical research to identify specific hyperpalatable food substances, and policy interventions that are not simply extrapolated from tobacco.
KW - Ethics
KW - Food addiction
KW - Health policy
KW - Stigma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064224422&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/nu11040710
DO - 10.3390/nu11040710
M3 - Review Article
C2 - 30934743
AN - SCOPUS:85064224422
VL - 11
JO - Nutrients
JF - Nutrients
SN - 2072-6643
IS - 4
M1 - 710
ER -