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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #165462
Title: THE ASSOCIATION OF EATING BEHAVIOR WITH RISK FOR MORBIDITY IN OLDER WOMEN

Author
item HAYS, NICHOLAS - TUFTS-HNRCA
item BATHALON, GASTON - TUFTS-HNRCA
item ROUBENOFF, RONENN - TUFTS-HNRCA
item LIPMAN, RUTH - TUFTS-HNRCA
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - TUFTS-HNRCA

Submitted to: Journals of Gerontology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2001
Publication Date: 2/1/2002
Citation: Hays, N., Bathalon, G.P., Roubenoff, R., Lipman, R., Roberts, S.B. 2002. The association of eating behavior with risk for morbidity in older women. Journals of Gerontology. 57(2):M128-33.

Interpretive Summary: This study examined the relationships of eating behavior and morbidity in regression models both adjusted and unadjusted for BMI. Higher disinhibition scores were associated with an altered risk for six specific morbidities (including diastolic blood pressure) in models unadjusted for BMI. However, disinhibition is also associated with BMI, and once our models were adjusted for BMI, the number of these significant association s dropped to three. These analyses, combined with the known morbidity risk of overweight and obesity, suggest that in this study population, the influences of eating behavior on morbidity act primarily via mechanisms mediated by body weight. Our results suggest that higher disinhibition and hunger scores are associated with small alterations in reported morbidity risk in a large population of nonsmoking older women; no association of dietary restraint and morbidity risk was observed. Although our cross-sectional study design makes the directionality of these relationships unclear, our results indicate at most a relatively minor independent association of eating behavior with morbidity.

Technical Abstract: Although an influence of eating behavior on dietary intake and physiology has been documented in several studies, the extent to which eating behavior influences long-term health is uncertain. Current dietary restraint, disinhibition, and hunger were assessed using the Eating Inventory in 1252 nonsmoking women aged 55 to 65 years. In addition, subjects reported the presence or absence of 22 specific morbidities, along with general demographic information. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between eating behavior scores and morbidity, adjusting for age, prior smoking status, hormone replacement therapy, education level, and body mass index (BMI). In adjusted models excluding BMI, higher disinhibition scores were associated with small increased risks for hypercholesterolemia (odds ratio [OR] 1.04, p =.045), leg cramps (OR 1.05, p =.044), indigestion (OR 1.06, p =.020), and cataract (OR 1.09, p =.036), and a decreased risk of eczema (OR 0.91, p =.008). In addition, higher hunger scores were associated with increased risk of eczema (OR 1.09, p =.026). However, after adjusting for confounding variables plus BMI, higher disinhibition scores were associated with increased risks for low back pain (OR 1.06, p =.031) and constipation (OR 1.10, p =.004), and associations of disinhibition and hunger with eczema were unchanged (OR 0.90, p =.008 and OR 1.09, p =.024, respectively). Dietary restraint was not associated with morbidity in any model. Higher disinhibition and hunger scores were associated with small alterations in reported morbidity risk in a large population of nonsmoking older women. Although our cross-sectional study design makes the directionality of these relationships unclear, our results suggest at most a relatively minor independent influence of eating behavior constructs on long-term health.