The relationship between impulsivity and uncontrolled eating behavior and obesity in adults

This descriptive study was conducted to investigate whether obesity and uncontrolled eating behavior, an obesity risk factor, were associated with the presence of impulsivity in individuals. The study was carried out with the participation of a total of 200 faculty members, 118 women and 82 men working in all faculties and schools except for the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry, located on the Bağlıca Campus of Başkent University. A questionnaire form consisting of 3 sections (Personal Information and anthropometric measurement, Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11), Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21) was used to collect the research data. When body mass indexes (BMI) were examined, 4.5% of the participants were underweight, 51.5% were normal, 33.0% were overweight and 11.0% were obese. All impulsivity subscores (motor impulsivity, nonplanning, attention impulsivity, total impulsivity) of the participants whose BMI was below 25 kg / m2 were found to be significantly lower than the group with BMI 25kg / m2 and above. BMI showed a significant positive correlation with all BIS-11 subscales. The mean uncontrolled eating and emotional eating scores of the participants whose BMI was below 25 kg / m2 were significantly lower than the other group (25 kg / m2 and above) (p <0.05). The mean score of cognitive restraint was found to be higher in the group with BMI below 25 kg/m2. This result was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). When the relationship between impulsivity and uncontrolled eating was examined; All subscale scores of BIS-11 (motor impulsivity r = 0.426, non-planning r = 0.366, attention impulsivity r = 0.38, total impulsivity r = 0.427) showed a significant correlation with uncontrolled eating. In conclusion, impulsivity is a condition associated with obesity and uncontrolled eating which should not be ignored in the treatment of obesity. Keywords: Obesity, impulsivity, uncontrolled eating behavior, emotional eating, cognitive restriction