The Effect of Television Viewing on Adolescents’ Snacking: Individual Differences Explained by External, Restrained and Emotional Eating

In a nationwide sample of 10,087 Dutch adolescents aged 11–16 years (M = 13.0, SD = .8), on average, 25% of the respondents watched more than three hours of television per day. Lowest levels of television viewing (TVV) were found in Dutch adolescents as compared to other ethnic groups, and in higher compared to lower educational levels. Snacking was negatively associated with physical activity and positively associated with TVV. For both boys and girls, the positive association between TVV and snacking was stronger in adolescents who scored high on external and (only for boys) emotional eating, whereas restrained eating attenuated this association.