Evaluation of the Relationship between Night Eating Syndrome and Weight Control in Adult Obese Women

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between night eating syndrome and weight control in adult obese women.
Subjects and Method: This study included 100 obese women who applied to an outpatient diet clinic at Beykoz Community Healthcare Centre between September 2015 and June 2016. Women were classified as having night eating syndrome (NES) if they had a total score of ≥25 according to Night Eating Questionnaire (study group), or classified as not having night eating syndrome (control group) if the total score of Night Eating Questionnaire was under 25. Demographic information and dietary habits were obtained, and anthropometric measurements were taken. Night eating syndrome was identified with “Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ)”. A weight loss program was designed individually, and the women were followed during a total of 12 weeks. During the follow-up period, anthropometric measurements were repeated, and dietary programs were reviewed.
Results: The mean age was 40.64 ± 8.7 years, and the mean NEQ scores were 32.9±5.5 and 13.5±4.9 in study and control groups, respectively. The women in the study group were suffering from night eating with an approximate duration of 6.3±6.0 years. According to body mass index (BMI), the rate of severe morbid obesity at baseline was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. At the end of the follow-up, the mean BMI was decreased by 2.02±1.5 kg/m2 and 2.50±4.5 kg/m2, and the mean waist circumference was decreased by 5.76±4.9 cm and 6.32±4.3 cm in study and control groups, respectively. However, the difference between study and control groups were not statistically significant (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that total weight loss was lower in women with NES, and NES has a negative impact on weight control. This relationship between weight control and NES should further be evaluated by comprehensive methods.