Daily and risky eating behaviors in Chilean adults/Conductas alimentarias cotidianas y de riesgo en adultos Chilenos

Abstract

Eating behaviors can be classified as daily (CAC) and risky (CAR), and may vary in frequency and intensity. The objective was to compare daily and risky eating behaviors among men and women living in northern and central Chile. Data were collected from 916 participants, 60% were women and 40% were men, mean age of 35.2 years. The subscale of daily and risky eating behaviors of the structured interview E-TONA was used, and the response format of the items was dichotomous. Pearson's chi-square and OR tests were performed to observe whether sex represented a risk factor for developing CAC. The CAC showed that women tend mostly to eat while watching TV (56.7%), while men tend to repeat the dish and fill it (23.1%). The CARs show that women are twice as likely to eat to calm anxiety (40.7%) and men are more likely to get angry when they react or restrict their food (12.4%). Although it is possible to evidence CAR in both men and women, trends by sex and higher total frequency in men were reported. Determining types of CAC and CAR by sex can facilitate the development of targeted dietary and nutritional interventions