Climate change worry and eating-related eco-concern: a network analysis of psychological and behavioral correlates in the general population

Background: As climate change intensifies, ecological concerns and climate worry are becoming more prevalent, paradoxically driving both pro-environmental behaviors and mental health risks. Their impact on eating behaviors remains unclear. This study uses network analysis to examine the complex relationships between eating-related eco-concerns, climate change worry, sustainable dietary behaviors, and disordered eating in the general population. Methods: The participants filled in the Eating-related eco-concern (EREC), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS), and the Sustainable and Healthy Dietary Behaviors Questionnaire (SHDB). Network analysis was performed using R. Results: The sample included 846 participants, 13.8% men, 84.3% females, 1.2% non-binary, and 0.7% undisclosed, with a mean age of 35.91 years. Network analysis revealed that EREC and SHDB represented the nodes with the greatest strength centrality. Positive associations emerged between EREC and CCWS, SHDB, and EHQ, as well as between SHDB and EHQ and between CCWS and DASS-21-Stress. Negative associations emerged between EREC and EDEQ, SHDB and DASS-21-Stress, and SHDB and CCWS. Conclusions: Findings suggest that general heightened concerns about climate change and psychological distress may impede sustainable dietary behaviors, while specific ecological concerns over food choice may motivate such behaviors, albeit favoring disordered eating in terms of orthorexia nervosa symptoms. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore their evolution over time. Eating disorder specialists should consider climate-related distress, especially in environmentally conscious patients.