The Comparison of Food Addiction Rates and Characteristics Between Obese and Non-Obese Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: Even though obesity and food addiction have been linked, only a small number of obese individuals fulfill the diagnostic criteria for food addiction, on the other hand some normal and underweight people also meet these criteria. To investigate the difference between the prevalence of food addiction between obese and non-obese persons using Yale Food Addiction Scale. Material and Methods: A demographic information form and Yale Food Addiction Scale was applied to obese and non-obese individiuals admitted to family medicine and obesity outpatient clinic. Significant differences of normally distributed data were assessed using a t-test, and significant differences of not normally distributed data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical data were expressed as percentages. The associations between food addiction and age, BMI, gender, and smoking status and the associations between gender, smoking, food addiction, and obesity were determined by using the established a binary logistic regression models. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Food addiction was more prevalent among obese participants and they were more addicted to carbohydrate-rich food, on the other hand non-obese participants were more addicted to chocolate. 'Important activities given up’ and 'withdrawal' symptoms were more common among obese participants, which can be a determinant item of food addiction for obese participants. Conclusion: Individuals with obesity should be screened in terms of food addiction, and psychosocial support should be given to them. Restricting foods particularly rich in carbohydrates in obese people may contribute to reduce food addiction