Background: Overweight and obesity are a problem negatively affecting human health. Besides the excess of energy from food, development of overweight can also result from food preferences, the frequency of meals and the speed of eating.
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of eating habits and physical activity on the occurrence of overweight and obesity.
Material and method: The questionnaire survey concerning eating habits and physical activity was conducted among adults aged 20-59 (n=420) in Lublin province (Poland). The subjects were divided into two groups – normal (BMI 18.5-25 kg/m2, n=250) and overweight and obese (BMI≥25 kg/m2, n=170). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Tukey’s test as well as chi-square independence test were applied. In addition, the relative risk of overweight for groups divided according to their habits was determined.
Results: The analysis of speed of eating was on the basis of subjective assessment of the subjects and as a relative speed of eating compared to family members and friends. In both methods of assessment, it has been shown that overweight and obesity facilitates fast food intake rate (p=0.0078 and p=0.0010, respectively) The relative risk of obesity and overweight increases almost twice (RR 1.79) when the number of meals consumed daily is between one and two compared to those having five meals a day. In addition, it has been shown that overweight facilitates low physical activity.
Conclusions: Slowly consumed meals, high physical activity and having more than two meals a day promotes maintaining a normal body weight.
Keywords: eating habits; obesity; overweight; frequency of meals; speed of eating.
Copyright by the National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene