Investigation of the relationship of technology use with eating behavior and obesity

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between the use of technological devices, eating behavior and obesity. The sample of the study consisted of 206 participants who applied to the Nutrition and Diet Policlinic in a private medical center in Istanbul, who had or did not have any disease, who were 15-65 years old, who used technological devices, who could understand and speak Turkish. Sample selection was based on the voluntary participation in the research. The data in the research; The Data Collection Form was obtained using the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and the Technology Addiction Scale (TBÖ), and the analysis was carried out using the SPSS-23 statistical package program. As a result of our study; BMI values of individuals with and without technology addiction were found to be similar, but it was observed that the ratio of women with technology addiction (65.45%, n=125) was higher than that of men with technology addiction (34.55%, n=66). When abnormal eating behaviors were examined according to BMI values in technology addicts and non-addicts, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.524, p=0.143, respectively). In individuals who are addicted to technology, the ratio of those with BMI values between 18.5-24.9 (47.12%, n=90) was higher than those with other BMI values (p<0.0001). Technology dependence status of groups with and without abnormal eating behavior was found to be similar (p=0.828). As a result, no significant relationship was found between technology addiction and abnormal eating behavior and obesity. It has been found that women with abnormal eating behavior are higher than males and most individuals with abnormal eating behavior have normal body mass index. According to this result, it is thought that it will be important for mothers and fathers, who have an important role in the upbringing of children, to receive nutrition education, and to raise awareness of education and training institutions about the use of technology. Keywords: Technology Addiction, Eating Behavior, Obesity, Eating Disorders