Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: JULIANA MIRANDA PEREIRA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : JULIANA MIRANDA PEREIRA
DATE: 09/10/2025
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Videoconferência
TITLE:

WHAT IS COMFORT FOOD? AN ANALYSIS OF THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE

KEY WORDS:

Eating Behavior; Comfort Food; Concept; Scope Review.

PAGES: 142
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUMMARY:

Human eating behavior is a complex phenomenon that transcends the biological dimension and is shaped by the interaction of biopsychosocial factors. Comfort food is a prime example of this interrelationship. It is consumed not to satisfy hunger, but rather to evoke specific emotional and psychological sensations and to foster social connections. Despite its relevance, there is still no consensus on a definition of comfort food in the literature, which highlights its complexity and contradictions. Thus, this thesis aims to clarify and deepen the understanding of comfort food by examining its concept, the contexts in which it is used, the foods that comprise this category, and the factors associated with its consumption. The results are presented in three articles. The first study is divided into two articles: a protocol and a scope review. The protocol aimed to plan and record the methodological steps of the scope review in detail, as well as inform the scientific community of its development. The construction of the scope review was guided by the acronym PCC (Population, Concept, Context): General population, comfort food as a concept, and global context. The research questions and objectives were established; the study's feasibility was assessed; inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined; sources of information were identified; and search strategies were developed. The protocol was then registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) and developed and published in a specialized journal. After the protocol stage, a scoping review was conducted with the following objectives: (1) to clarify the scientific definition of comfort food and examine how the concept has been understood and used in different contexts, (2) to identify the predominant methodological designs in comfort food research, and (3) to detect factors associated with comfort food consumption. At this stage, data were searched for and exported, screened by reading the titles and abstracts, and then screened again by reading the documents in full and extracting data. The data were analyzed, and the results were presented and discussed. The second study, a secondary investigation, will use additional data from the scope review to analyze foods considered comfort foods. It will assess their relationship with the source of information, the dimensions of the concept, and the research context. This thesis is characterized by a comprehensive mapping that contributes to filling knowledge gaps about this category and provides valuable information for future research, such as proposing a concept.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1350337 - FIVIA DE ARAUJO LOPES
Externa ao Programa - 2926958 - FERNANDA DA FONSECA FREITAS - UFRNExterna ao Programa - 1806446 - THAIZ MATTOS SUREIRA - UFRN