We are pleased to connect with Professor Marion Hetherington, announcing four upcoming Special Issues, and who has issued a Call for Papers.
Lovely to meet with you Marion, it’s great to be able to share information about forthcoming journal issues.
Please tell us about the motivation behind selecting these particular topics for the upcoming special issues. What is the intended impact or goal of these special issues within the field of food and nutrition studies?
Appetite is always keen to support special issues in areas of research which are timely and topical. For example, in 2020 as the global COVID-19 pandemic emerged, it was critical that the journal encourage submissions that could further our understanding of how country-specific mitigations, lockdowns and changes in behaviour influenced food intake, appetite and body weight. Although we are, of course, still receiving COVID-19 related papers, we experienced a surge in submissions during 2020-2021 with a focus on the impact of the pandemic on diet, physical activity and wellbeing. The goal of our special issues is to raise awareness of a specific topic, to provide a platform for debate and to advance our understanding by reaching out to researchers to disseminate their latest findings in the field.
How do you think these four topics intersect with one another and why is it important to explore them at this point in time?
The special issues converge on the importance of eating well for individual, community and planetary health. It has never been more important to understand food intake than now, as changes to our climate, food supply and food security affect the decisions we make about the food we eat. The topics cover vastly different levels of analysis from family discourse at the dinner table to population level transitions to a more sustainable diet; and from the loss of appetite in older adults leading to weight loss to the effect of food insecurity and additional cost of healthy eating on overweight and obesity in our communities.
What type of research or reviews are you specifically looking for in submissions for the topic “Interactional Approaches to Eating and Mealtimes”?
Our guest editors Professor Sally Wiggins, Linköping University and Dr Amy Van der Heijden, University of Amsterdam– have invited submissions which use verbal and non-verbal interactional approaches during mealtimes and eating interactions to enhance our understanding of how these episodes shape food preferences, promote certain dietary choices and how food is framed in the family. This topic is likely to include qualitative and quantitative research on how groups, including families, interact during eating episodes in everyday life.
For the “Older Adults: Appetite and Food Intake” special issue, might you elaborate on the unique challenges or considerations that research in this area might present?
For this special issue, our guest editors Dr Miriam Clegg, University of Reading and Professor Katherine Appleton, Bournemouth University have encouraged submissions which consider the effect of ageing on appetite regulation as well as the different food-based strategies which are used to prevent loss of appetite, and to encourage food intake in older adults. This call is likely to attract experiments, trials and reviews with a focus on older adult appetite, food choice and intake.
Considering the current economic climate, the theme around “Food Insecurity, the Cost-of-Living Crisis and Obesity” issue seems very timely. What sort of research might be most impactful for this topic?
Food insecurity linked to the increased cost of food is experienced across the world, even in countries considered by the UN to be high-income countries. Our guest editors Professor Charlotte Hardman, University of Liverpool and Professor Alex Johnstone, University of Aberdeen have developed this special issue to disseminate papers which have investigated the impact of food insecurity and/or the cost-of-living crisis on any aspect of the cultural, social, psychological, sensory and physiological factors determining food intake. The call is open to qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods research, drawn from observational, experimental, and/or trial-based approaches, related to the impact of food insecurity and/or the cost-of-living crisis on food intake, appetite and weight status.
Our fourth special issue will be guest edited by Dr Isaac Cheah and Dr Anwar Sadat, Curtin University, Perth, Australia, Assoc. Professor Mahabubur Rahman, Rennes School of Business, Rennes, France and Assoc. Prof. Natalina Zlatevska, University of Technology Sydney. This topic is: “The effects of Climate change on food intake, appetite and dietary choices”. As we know we are now in a climate emergency, and this affects our global food system – its stability and sustainability. The climate crisis is changing food security and reducing dietary quality. To counter this, more eco-friendly diets like the “climatarian” diet is being promoted, as well as the adoption of alternative protein sources that are both innovative and sustainable. Studies suggest that changes in dietary habits due to the climate crisis present opportunities for exploration rather than abstinence, revealing shifts in food preferences and consumption rates. This special issue seeks papers exploring how the climate crisis affects food and beverage choices and consumption. Submissions can use observational, experimental, or trial-based approaches and employ qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.
What does the submission process entail? Is there advice you can give to authors aiming to contribute to these special issues?
The submission process follows our normal Appetite upload procedure on our portal, then the authors simply identify which Special Issue they wish to submit to from the dropdown menu. From there, the paper will be assigned to our Guest Editors and the peer review process will be initiated if the paper passes triage. That means that the manuscript is sufficiently in scope, original, rigorous and impactful – which is the expectation for all papers reviewed by editors in Appetite. My advice to potential authors is to read the Guide for Authors (GfA) and to ensure that the paper meets the scope of the journal and the specific aim of the special issue.
Link to the GfA- Guide for Authors Appetite
Link to submit – Appetite Submission Portal
Can you describe the review process for these special issues and the timeline authors can expect for feedback in advance of publication?
The review process will be overseen by the Editors in Chief, to ensure that our peer review process has been conducted to the same standard as regular submissions to Appetite. The review process can take up to 8 weeks.
The deadline for submission for each topic is as follows:
- Interactional approaches to eating and mealtimes – 31/10/2023
- Older adults: appetite and food intake – 08/12/2023
- Food insecurity, obesity and the cost-of-living crisis – 01/01/2024
- The effects of climate change on food intake, appetite and dietary choices – 30/08/2024
How can researchers stay informed about future special issues or calls for papers from Appetite?
Do set an alert for upcoming papers of interest Appetite Alerts and go to the Elsevier website for announcements about future special issues Appetite Special Issues
Appetite Special Issues – call for papers
The editorial board of Appetite is pleased to announce four upcoming special issues, three are now open for submissions and one opens in March 2024:
- “Interactional approaches to eating and mealtimes”
- “Older adults: appetite and food intake”
- “Food insecurity, the cost-of-living crisis and obesity”
- “The effects of climate change on food intake, appetite and dietary choices”.
If you have conducted research or reviews relevant to these topics and would like to submit to the special issues please use our Appetite Editorial Manager submission system, following the author guidelines for paper type and format, then identify the special issue topic from the dropdown menu. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/appetite