Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Obesity is nowadays one of the most important challenges in public health and, therefore, the investigation of their causes is most relevant. Among the various behavioral roots of obesity, the emotional over ingestion determined by emotional factors, i.e. emotional eating (EE), is one of them.

Objectives: To study how emotions contribute to obesity in woman.

Methods: We gathered a convenience sample 220 woman in the hospital and community settings, of which, 43 had normal weight, 37 overweight, 19 grade 1 obesity, 35 grade 2 obesity and 86 grade 3 obesity. The mean age was 39.3±10.4 years and BMI was 35.3±9.5 kg/m2. We applied the Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ) that evaluates the EE determined by positive and negative emotions and by positive and negative situations. Statistical analysis was performed with the One-way ANOVA with Bonferoni correction test and Pearson’s correlation test for variable association. P values ≤ 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

Results: We found a positive correlation among age and BMI (P<0.001) and the mean of negative situations (P<0.001). We observed a negative correlation among BMI and education (P<0.005), the mean positive emotions (P<0.001) and positive situations (P<0.005). We noticed a significant age difference among normal weight vs grade 2 obesity and grade 3 obesity (P<0.001) participants. Normal weight and grade 3 obesity groups had different education levels (P<0.02). In terms of EE we observed significant differences between normal weight and grade 3 obesity (P<0.005) and between overweight and grade 3 obesity (P<0.03). Normal weight and grade 3 obesity participants had significant differences in the positive situations (P<0.03).

Conclusions: In this sample older and lower education participants showed a higher BMI. Woman with higher BMI appear to have more EE determined by negative emotional situations. Ingestion originated by positive emotions and situations results in lower BMI. Attending to all groups of weight classes concerning the EE, only the positive emotions distinguish the normal weight of the grade 3 obesity and the overweight. The positive situations distinguish the normal weight and the grade 3 obesity. According with some the literature, this study, corroborates the importance of the positive EE as a differential factor in the woman’s weight. Thought, did not confirm the influence of the negative emotions and situations.