This project investigates the relationship between environmental concerns and eating behaviors, both dysfunctional (eating disorder symptomatology and orthorexia nervosa) and functional (healthy and sustainable), in the general Italian population and in a subgroup of patients with eating disorders. Additionally, it aims to validate in Italian a psychometric tool designed to measure environmental concerns related to food choices (“Eating-Related Eco-concern Questionnaire”), considered a risk factor for the development of eating disorders.
PROJECT IMPACT
This project can positively impact the community by raising awareness of how eco-concerns and climate change worry shape food habits. It shows how such awareness can foster eco-friendly choices, like reducing meat intake, favoring plant-based diets, limiting plastic use, reducing food waste and promoting sustainable consumption. However, the project also highlights that if these behaviors become rigid, they may signal psychological distress. In this sense, eco-concern in food is a double-edged sword, capable of fostering sustainability but also contributing to disordered eating risks.
These insights may also influence stakeholders such as advertising agencies as well as policy makers. For example, they suggest that communication strategies should avoid being overly alarmist, since excessively fear-based messages may fail to encourage sustainable habits and could even exacerbate stress and maladaptive eating behaviors. Furthermore, the findings can help shape and inform guidelines for the prevention of eating disorder risks, specifically adapted to the new context of climate change and its impact on food-related concerns.