Eating behaviours of non-obese individuals with and without familial history of obesity

The aim of the present study was to examine whether eating behaviours and their subscales are associated with familial history of obesity (FHO) in a cohort of 326 non-obese men and women. Anthropometric measurements, eating behaviours (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire) and dietary intakes (FFQ) have been determined in a sample of 197 women and 129 men. A positive FHO (FHO+) was defined as having at least one obese first-degree relative and a negative FHO (FHO-) as no obese first-degree relative. Men with FHO+ had higher scores of cognitive dietary restraint and flexible restraint than men with FHO-. In women, those with FHO+ had a higher score of disinhibition than women with FHO-. In both men and women, eating behaviours were not significantly associated with the number of obese family members. However, having an obese mother was associated with higher scores of cognitive dietary restraint, flexible restraint and rigid restraint in women. These findings demonstrate that eating behaviours of non-obese subjects are different according to the presence or absence of obese family members. More specifically, hailing an obese mother is associated with a higher dietary restraint score in women.