Objective:
In the modern age, the pursuit of food is now a means of pleasure and of satisfying hunger. This study examined the role of hedonic hunger and eating behaviors on obesity in older adults.
Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 older adults. The nutrition information system (BeBiS), bioelectrical impedance analysis, power of food scale-Turkish version (PFS-Tr), and Dutch eating behaviour questionnaire (DEBQ) were used to evaluate the subjects.
Results:
The mean age of 400 people included in the study was 67.82±2.77 years. It was found that the moderator effect of the interaction of daily energy intake and hedonic hunger behaviour (PFS-Tr) on the waist-to-hip ratio was significant. In particular, the regulatory effect of low hedonic hunger scores (PFS-Tr) was significant (p=0.019) and the waist-to-hip ratio decreased as the scores obtained from the scale decreased. The mediator effect of the restrained eating (ResE) sub-dimension (DEBQ) between the average daily energy intake and body fat mass was significant (estimate =0.221, p=0.021), and an increase in ResE behavior scores resulted in an increase in body fat mass. It was found that 89.4% of the effect of ResE behaviour on body fat mass was direct and large. There was a weak positive correlation between the average daily energy intake and food available subscale of PFS-Tr (r=0.157) and food present subscale (r=0.017). Total daily energy intake had a direct effect on body fat mass (estimate =0.008, p=0.005).
Conclusion:
The results of our study support a positive relationship between hedonic hunger and abdominal obesity in older adults. Decreased ResE behaviour increases the whole-body fat mass. Evaluation of hunger and implementation of programmes that support ResE behaviour may be useful in controlling obesity and its negative consequences in older adults.
Keywords: Hedonism, obesity, hunger aging, geriatrics