Eating style, overeating and weight gain. A prospective 2-year follow-up study in a representative Dutch sample

This study examined which individuals are particularly at risk for developing overweight and whether there are behavioral lifestyle factors that may attenuate this susceptibility. A prospective study with a 2-year follow-up was conducted in a sample representative of the general population of The Netherlands (n = 590). Body mass change (self-reported) was assessed in relation to overeating and change in physical activity (both self-reported), dietary restraint, emotional eating, and external eating, as assessed by the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. There was a consistent main (suppressive) effect of increased physical activity on BMI change. Only emotional eating and external eating moderated the relation between overeating and body mass change. However, the interaction effect of external eating became borderline significant with Yes or No meaningful weight gain (weight gain >3%) as dependent variable. It was concluded that whilst increasing physical activity may attenuate weight gain, particularly high emotional eaters seem at risk for developing overweight, because overconsumption seems to be more strongly related to weight gain in people with high degrees of emotional eating.

► A prospective study (2-year follow-up) in a representative Dutch sample.
► Body mass change, overeating, eating styles and physical activity.
► Increasing physical activity attenuated weight gain.
► Emotional eating moderated the association of overeating with body mass change.
► Particularly high emotional eaters seem at risk for developing overweight.