Investigation of the effect of emotional freedom technique on food craving, hedonic hunger and food consumption

Hunger; is a complex situation involving multiple motivational processes that evoke nutritional and nutritional quest behaviors. Two basic mechanisms dominate the control of hunger. These mechanisms are homeostatic and hedonic systems. The impulse to eat, the incentive for excessive consumption, the need for the sensorial pleasure, and reward be termed as hedonic hunger. In the study conducted in recent years, EFT has been used in posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety including panic, agoraphobia, social phobias, specific phobias. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the Emotional Freedom Technique in reducing the stress-related factors of hedonic hunger and food consumption and therefore, it is to change anthropometric measurements in the long term by aiming for a reduction in nutrient consumption. The study was conducted as an intervention -control study between December 2019 and July 2020, with 54 individuals who wanted to participate in eft intervention between the ages of 19 and 64 who declared that they had excessive food requests and hedonic hunger. The application of the Emotional Freedom Technique is the intervention of the study and a one-on-one matching control group has been created. The individuals in the intervention group were asked to perform two training videos for EFT at least once a week for 28 days and activate EFT every day and complete the questionnaire form at the and of the 28th day. 29-60th day of the study is reserved for monitoring time. 87% of the study participants are female and 13% are male. The average age of the participants (n=54) included in the intervention group is 30.0±8.81 and the average age of individuals in the control group (n=54) is 31.0±10.63. When the difference between the average age of intervention and control groups is evaluated statistically, there was no significant difference(p>0.05). Participants were asked to evaluate their excessive food consumption on a Likert scale out of 10.The difference between weight measurements when evaluating on 0th day, 28th day, and 60th-day anthropometric measurements according to measurements taken from the intervention group was found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). Weight measurements were initially 73.1±18.56, while on the 28th day 69.9±16.97, 60th day 69.9±16.87 was determined in the measurement taken per day. The times that make a difference in weight measurements were between 0th day and 28th day and 0th day and 60th day. After the application of the Emotional Freedom Technique, there was a decrease in energy intake averages. The initial energy intake average decreased from 1768.4 ±625.07 calories to 1393.5±390.84 calories on the 28th day. On the 60th day, it decreased further to 1278.4±358.33 calories. When participants' energy intake levels are evaluated on 0th day, 28th day, and 60th day, the difference between energy intake averages which is depending on the time was found to be statistically significant (p<0.001). As a result: EFT may be among the methods that can be used to reduce hedonic hunger. It is quite easy to apply EFT and continue for a long time. When creating an individualized weight-loss diet, individuals' chronic stress level, hedonic hunger status, and excessive food consumption should also be evaluated.This study is important because it is the first study to emphasize that hedonic hunger can be reduced in individuals by the EFT method and therefore more studies are needed on the subject.