Understanding Eating Behaviors in Obesity: A DEBQ-Based Analysis of Clinical and Demographic Factors

Background Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease influenced not only by metabolic and genetic factors but also by eating behaviors. The present study aimed to evaluate eating behaviors in individuals diagnosed with obesity using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and to examine the associations between DEBQ subscale scores -emotional, external, and restrained eating patterns- and clinical as well as sociodemographic characteristics. Understanding these relationships may contribute to more targeted behavioral and therapeutic interventions in obesity management. Methods This study included 220 participants diagnosed with obesity who were followed at the Etlik City Hospital Obesity Center. Clinical psychiatric evaluations were conducted using the DSM-5 structured interview. Data were collected through face-to-face interactions using a sociodemographic form and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Results Regression analysis revealed that years of education, a diagnosis of depression, a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and a diagnosis of eating disorder were significant positive predictors of emotional eating scores, with eating disorder diagnosis emerging as the most prominent factor. Similarly, duration of obesity and a diagnosis of eating disorder were significantly and positively associated with restrictive eating scores; among these, eating disorder diagnosis showed the most substantial association. Finally, years of education and a diagnosis of eating disorder were found to be significant positive predictors of external eating scores. Conclusion These findings underscore that eating behaviors among individuals with obesity are far from homogeneous, with psychiatric comorbidities playing a pivotal role in the observed behavioral variability. Most notably, the study reveals that emotional eating is strongly associated with depression, OCD, and comorbid eating disorder diagnoses. This highlights the limitations of traditional obesity treatments focused solely on caloric restriction and confirms the necessity of multidisciplinary strategies targeting emotion regulation and psychiatric comorbidities. Ultimately, the development of personalized intervention strategies that account for the psychiatric and sociodemographic profiles shaping an individual's eating behavior is critical for the effective treatment of obesity.