Emotional eating in relation to anthropometric indices and dietary energy intake based on gender

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Emotional eating is one of the important factors in etiology of obesity and eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aimed to compare gender differences in response to emotional eating and to identify the anthropometric indices and dietary intake factors correlation with emotional eating.

METHODS:

A sample of 247 subjects from three schools in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran was participated in the study. Each participant filled out a general ten-item and an emotional eating fourteen-item questionnaire. Statistical analyses of the study were conducted by an independent t-test, a chi-square, Pearson correlations and logistic regression using the SPSS version 19.

RESULTS:

The findings of this investigation indicated that body mass index (BMI) (r = – 0.759, p <  0.0001 and r = – 0.818, p <  0.0001), waist circumference (WC) (r = – 0.217, p = 0.014 and r = – 0.182, p = 0.048) and dietary energy intake (r = – 0.221, p = 0.012 and r = – 0.186, p = 0.024) correlated significantly with emotional eating in female and male groups, respectively. The female had higher emotional eating score versus the male (6.56±1.56 and 6.47±1.21, respectively). Marital status, smoking, recent weight loss, and weight gain, were the strong predictors of the emotional eating.

CONCLUSIONS:

Knowing predicting factors of emotional eating and understanding the fact that gender differences could affect chances of being emotional eater can help us provide appropriate nutritional and psychological educational programs in the community. This can in turn control the emotional eating status and consequently lead to beneficial outcomes on the level of individuals’ health in the society.