Effect of Dietary Patterns on Chronic Obesity: Preliminary Study

Abstract

The goal of this study was the assessment of eating styles of the obese and of subjects with normal weight, with the objective of identify possible behavioral and psycho-social differential patterns that contribute to the genesis and maintenance of obesity. 14 subjecb with chronic obesity and 89 subjects with normal weight were assessed using a set of self-questionnaires and self- records, following the behavioral assessment methodology. The comparative results between both groups showed significantly different patterns related to: l . externa1 stimuli antecedent that generate the eating behavior (eating schedule, frequency of eating, food appearance, etc.) and internal stimuli antecedent (physiological and cognitive), 2. organismic variables: muscular activity, anxiety and social habilities, 3. overt and covert eating behavior, and 4. extemal and internal consecuentes of overeating and over-weight. These results suggest the necessity to plan new researches in which

the significance of each element needs to be evaluated with the objective of increasing the effectiveness of treatment programs for obesity .