Evaluation of the Effect of Hedonic Hunger on Nutrition Change Processes and Its Relationship with BMI: A Study on University Students

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of hedonic hunger on nutritional change processes and its relationship with BMI in university students. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic characteristics, questions about eating habits, Power of Food Scale (PFS) and Nutrition Change Processes Scale (NPCS) were applied to 1003 undergraduate students. Results: Majority of the students were female and normal weight in terms of BMI. The median PFS and score of the obese students is higher than the normal ones. The median NPCS scores of obese students are higher than other BMI classifications (p< .01). The median scores of food available, food present and food taste sub-factors of PFS are statistically higher in obese students than in normal-weight students (p< .01). The sub-factors of NPCS that consciousness raising, dramatic relief, self-reevaluation, social liberation, contingency management, self-liberation, stimulus control median scores are statistically higher in obese students than in normal-weight students. As hedonic hunger increases, the nutritional change process increases by 13.7%. The increase in hedonic hunger affects the nutritional change processes positively by 46.1% (p< .001). Conclusion: Hedonic hunger and nutrition change processes of obese students are higher than those of normal weight, and as hedonic hunger increases, the process of nutritional change increases, and the increase in hedonic hunger positively affects nutritional change processes.