Abstract
Background: In this study, eating behaviors and alexithymia levels in obese adolescents are investigated. Relationships between alexithymia, eating behaviour and insulin resistance are studied.
Method: A patient group and a comparison group are formed. The patient group consists of 87 obese adolescents or overweight adolescents (O+OW). The comparison group consists of 101 normal weight adolescents (N). Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children (AQC), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Child Version (RCADS-CV) are used for assessing adolescents. Homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) are calculated to determine insuline resistance.
Results: AQC scores are significantly higher in O+OW compared to N (p:0,009) . Both emotional and restrained eating scores are higher in O+OW (p<0,001 for both). On the other hand, external eating scores do not have any significant difference. In O+OW, external eating is positively associated with HOMA-IR (r:035, p:0,006), but is not associated with fasting blood glucose and HbA1c (r:-0,05, p:0,62; r:-0,05, p:0,73). Regression analysis shows that restrained and emotional eatings are predictors of O+OW (B:0,1, p<0,001; B:0,06, p:0,001). Emotional eating is positively correlated with AQC and RCADS-CV in O+OW (r: 0,29, p: 0,008; r:0,48, p<0,001)
Conclusion: Obese and overweight adolescents are more alexithymic than normal weight adolescents. Also, alexithymia scores are positively associated with emotional eating. On the other hand, alexithymia is not a predictor of obesity/overweight. Restrained and emotional eatings are predictors of obesity/overweight. Emotional and restrained eatings are more common in obese and overweight adolescents compared to normal weighted adolescents. External eating is not significantly associated with obesity, but is related with insuline resistance.
Keyword: obesity, childhood, alexithymia, restrained eating, emotional eating