Murat Bas

Self-efficacy and restrained eating in relation to weight loss among overweight men and women in Turkey

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential improvements in eating self-efficacy, eating behavior and other psychological factors in obese subjects participating in a weight management program. The participants in this study consisted of 96 persons (76 women and 20 men) who were attending the first session of a commercially run 20-week treatment program for weight reduction. Self-efficacy in relation to eating was assessed by the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire. The participants also completed the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Social Physique Anxiety Scale, State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Body Parts Satisfaction Scale prior to weight management program and again 20 weeks after the program. High self-efficacy score was significantly associated with high weight loss among all participants. Also, high negative emotions and physical discomfort scores were significantly associated with high weight loss among all participants. Results indicated that there was a significant decrease in the TFEQ hunger and disinhibition scores during the study. As a conclusion, our findings suggest that the role of self-efficacy has an important role in obesity treatment regarding to weight control behavior.

Psychometric properties of Turkish version of Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ). A preliminary results

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) among Turkish university students. The questionnaire was administered to 508 participants. Construct validity was assessed by principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation and reliability was tested by Cronbachs alpha coefficient. For testing criterion related validity, EAT-40 with DEBQ was also administered to 508 participants. Results showed the presence of three major factors (emotional eating, restrained eating and external eating) with loadings similar to those of the original questionnaire. Three subscales of DEBQ had higher internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The obtained correlation between EAT-40 and DEBQ was ranged from 0.12 to 0.39. This study clearly demonstrates the factorial validity and the reliability of a Turkish version of the DEBQ.

Prerequisite programs and food hygiene in hospitals: food safety knowledge and practices of food service staff in Ankara, Turkey.

Our objective was to determine food safety practices related to prerequisite program implementation in hospital food services in Turkey. Staff often lack basic food hygiene knowledge. Problems of implementing HACCP and prerequisite programs in hospitals include lack of food hygiene management training, lack of financial resources, and inadequate equipment and environment.

Low serum 25(OH)D levels are assocıated to hıgher BMI and metabolic syndrome parameters in adult subjects in Turkey

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the association of 25(OH)D levels with biochemical, anthropometric, and metabolic data obtained from normal and obese people. METHODS This study was carried out on 90 individuals between the ages of 18 to 63 that had various body mass indexes. Blood samples and anthropometric measurements were taken. RESULTS Waist circumferences, fat mass, LDL cholesterol levels, HDL cholesterol levels, 25(OH)D levels, and triglyceride levels were significantly different according to the body mass index groups of the participants (p<0.05). When compared to the normal body mass index group, both other groups (overweight and obese) had higher waist circumferences, triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol levels, fasting insulin levels, HOMA-IR ratios, parathyroid hormone levels, and fat mass, and had lower 25(OH)D levels (p<0.05). The overweight group participants had higher 25(OH)D levels than the obese group, and had lower waist circumferences, fat mass, fasting insulin level, HOMA-IR ratios, and HbA1C and PTH levels than those in the obese group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION In conclusion, the mean level of 25(OH)D is very low in overweight and obese individuals and low serum 25(OH)D levels appear to be associated with obesity, visceral obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in obese patients.

Is neck circumference measurement an indicator for abdominal obesity? A pilot study on Turkish Adults

BACKGROUND Neck circumference (NC) measurement is one of the simple screening measurements which can be used as an index of upper body fat distribution to identify obesity. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between neck circumferences and obesity. METHODS A total 411 volunteer adults participated in this study (174 men, 237 women). A questionnaire which consisted of anthropometric measurements and demographic features was used. Patients with NC ≥37 cm for men and ≥34 cm for women require evaluation of overweight status. RESULTS The percentages of the men and women with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) were 55.2% and 27.0% respectively and with high neck circumferences were 85.1% and 38.8%, respectively. The percentages of the men and women with high waist circumference were 31.6% and 79.3%, respectively. In both gender there were positive significant correlations between neck circumference, body weight (men, r=0.576; women, r=0.702; p=0.000), waist circumferences (men, r=0.593; women r=0.667; p=0.000), hip circumferences (men, r=0.568; women, r=0.617; p=0.000) and BMI (men, r=0.587; women, r=0.688; p=0.000). CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that NC was associated with body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and waist/hip ratio for men and women. A significant association was found between NC and conventional overweight and obesity indexes. NC was associated with waist/hip ratio for men and women.