Eating Competence and Nutrition Behavior in Diverse Populations
Summary
Eating competence is a behavioural construct that emphasises positive attitudes towards food, self-regulation, regular meal patterns and food variety without prescribing rigid dietary rules. Grounded in a biopsychosocial model, it reflects an individual’s capacity to enjoy food, respond appropriately to hunger and satiety cues, accept a wide range of foods and organise meals within daily routines. Research across varied age groups, cultural settings and socioeconomic strata indicates that eating competence correlates with higher diet quality, healthier body weight, improved metabolic markers and greater psychological well-being. In low-income cohorts, enhanced competence is linked to better resource management and meal planning, while among parents and caregivers it supports the division of feeding responsibility that fosters children’s autonomy and dietary variety. During periods of social disruption, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, resilient contextual skills have mitigated declines in dietary quality. Collectively, these findings underscore the global relevance of eating competence as a target for nutrition education, public health interventions and policy initiatives aimed at preventing chronic disease and promoting lifelong healthy eating behaviours.
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Eating Competence and Nutrition Behavior in Diverse Populations publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in eating competence and nutrition behavior in diverse populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Eating Competence: An individual’s overall ability to regulate and enjoy eating, integrating attitudes, behaviours and skills.
ecSI2.0™ (Satter Eating Competence Inventory): A validated questionnaire measuring eating competence across four domains.
Division of Responsibility in Feeding (sDOR): A framework assigning caregivers control over what, when and where food is offered, and children control over whether and how much they eat.
Internal Regulation: The capacity to recognise and respond appropriately to physiological hunger and fullness cues.
Contextual Skills: Abilities related to planning, organising and preparing meals in alignment with daily life demands.
References
- Division of Responsibility in Child Feeding and Eating Competence among Brazilian Caregivers. Nutrients (2023).
- Eating Competence among Brazilian College Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
- Eating Competence, Food Consumption and Health Outcomes: An Overview. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022).
- Eating Competence among Brazilian Adults: A Comparison between before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Foods (2021).
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