Evaluation of the relationship between night eating syndrome and hedonic hunger status and anthropometric measurements in female individuals admitting to a sports center

The study was conducted to examine the nutritional status, hedonic eating tendencies, and the presence of night eating syndrome in women who regularly exercise and those who do not, and to evaluate the relationship of these variables with anthropometric measurements. This cross-sectional study was carried out with a total of 184 participants, including 92 women who had been exercising regularly for the past three months and 92 sedentary women who were physically inactive, all of whom applied to a private sports center located in Istanbul. The participants were administered a personal information form, a three-day food consumption record, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Power of Food Scale (PFS), the Motivation to Eat Palatable Foods Scale (PEMS), and the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) through face-to-face interviews. Anthropometric measurements were taken by the researcher, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software. The findings of the study showed that the weekly total MET scores of individuals who regularly exercised were significantly higher than those who did not exercise (p<0.001). The PFS and PEMS scores of the exercise group were found to be significantly lower compared to the non-exercise group (p<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of the presence of hedonic hunger (p>0.05). In both groups, significant positive correlations were found between the PFS score and body weight, BMI (Body Mass Index), body fat percentage, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio. NEQ scores and the prevalence of night eating syndrome were higher among non-exercising individuals. However, the relationship between physical activity level and NEQ score was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The NEQ score was positively associated with anthropometric measurements such as body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio in both groups; additionally, it showed a significant positive correlation with PFS and PEMS scores. In conclusion, no direct significant relationship was found between physical activity level and hedonic eating behaviors or night eating tendencies. However, the positive correlations of these eating behaviors with certain anthropometric parameters suggest that they may have an impact on body composition, indicating the need for more comprehensive research on the subject.