Associations of Waist-to-Height Ratio with Various Emotional and Irregular Eating, and Making Environment to Promote Eating in Japanese Adults: The Saku Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: The waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has started gaining attention as a measure of abdominal
obesity. While the associations between various eating behaviors and high BMI or
obesity or overweight determined by BMI have been reported, studies focusing on the relationship
between eating behaviors and the WHtR in adults are scarce. This study aimed to clarify
eating behaviors associated with a high WHtR in Japanese adults.
Study design: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: Subjects were 1674 men and 1144 women aged 20 to 75 years who participated in
a baseline assessment of Saku cohort study in Japan from 2009 to 2011. The subjects underwent
a physical examination and answered a questionnaire regarding various eating behaviors
(emotional eating, irregularity of eating (including having late-night snacks, eating between
meals, having many occasions to go to drinking parties, skipping breakfast and having dinner
late), eating fast, eating until full, external eating and making environment to promote eating),
lifestyles, and stage of change regarding diet. The relationship between the WHtR (<0.5 as a
reference) and each eating behavior was examined using multiple logistic regression analysis
adjusting for age, sex, lifestyles, and stages of change regarding diet.
Results: After adjusting for covariates, the WHtR showed significant positive relationships
with eating behaviors regarding all items of emotional eating, having late-night snacks, eating
between meals, having many occasions to go to drinking parties (in the irregularity of eating
category), eating fast, eating until full, all items of external eating and making environment
to promote eating. Skipping breakfast and having dinner late (in the irregularity of eating category)
did not show significant associations with the WHtR.
Conclusions: Some eating behaviors were associated with a higher WHtR in adults. Putting
more emphasis on modifying these specific eating behaviors may effectively decrease the
WHtR and prevent cardiovascular diseases.