Ansiedade e motivações alimentares de mulheres com sobrepeso e obesidade

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Food choices are not individual decisions; they result from a series of situations, interactions, and social pressures. It is worth emphasizing that food choices are deeply linked to emotions, making it essential to understand human eating behavior. OBJECTIVE: To verify the presence of anxiety and food motivations in overweight and obese women and investigate the relationship between these factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional approach with a sample of 24 women diagnosed with overweight or obesity, attended at a Nutrition School Clinic. Data were collected through medical records and instruments, namely the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and The Eating Motivation Survey. RESULTS: The average Body Mass Index was 34.7 kg/m². The results showed that 80.0% of the patients presented moderate anxiety. The dimensions of food motivations that scored the highest were “Preferences” and “Habits,” while factors such as Emotion Control and Social Image had the lowest average scores. CONCLUSION: It was possible to identify that dimensions such as “Preferences,” “Habits,” “Need and Hunger,” “Convenience,” and “Pleasure” played an important role in the food choices of the participants.