Eating behavior norms vary by age, sex, and BMI, Finnish study finds
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 9,000 people in northern Finland to examine cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. Younger adults reported more uncontrolled and emotional eating, while older adults showed more cognitive restraint; women generally reported higher restraint and emotional eating than men. The study produced age- and sex-specific reference values for the TFEQ-R18 questionnaire, suggesting no universal cutoff for atypical eating behavior.
The analysis used data from nearly 9,000 people in three northern Finland population cohorts, with participants around ages 33–35, 45–46, and 68–70. It measured cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating using the TFEQ-R18, whose scores run from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating stronger expression of that behavior.
The researchers created the first age- and sex-specific Finnish reference values for this questionnaire. These are meant to help professionals judge whether someone’s pattern differs notably from peers of similar age and sex, though they cannot by themselves indicate whether treatment is warranted. The work appeared in Appetite.
These reference values could influence how clinicians and weight-management services interpret eating-behavior questionnaires, potentially reducing misclassification for people whose age, sex, or BMI differs from a generic norm. Individuals seeking obesity care may benefit if assessments become more tailored, while researchers may use the benchmarks to compare groups more consistently. Still, because scores can reflect goals and context rather than pathology, any societal effect may depend on how cautiously professionals apply them.