Objective: The aim of the study is to verify the applicability of the dual-pathway model among weight-preoccupied overweight women and to document the restraint pathway, the negative affect pathway, and the possibility of a direct pathway from body dissatisfaction to overeating.
Method: Structural equations were performed to test the model on baseline data of 153 weight-preoccupied overweight women recruited to participate in a randomized trial.
Results: Findings suggest that the model obtains satisfactory fit. Although the restraint pathway is partially supported, the negative affect pathway is confirmed. A third pathway linking directly body dissatisfaction to overeating is also evidenced.
Discussion: The dual-pathway model of overeating seems to be representative of the reality of weight-preoccupied overweight women, which could be pointed as a population in need of clinical attention, particularly considering the dramatically increasing rates of obesity.
(c) 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.