Low eating self-efficacy is associated with unfavorable eating behavior tendencies among individuals with overweight and obesity

Success in long-term weight management depends partly on psychological and behavioral aspects. Understanding the links between psychological factors and eating behavior tendencies is needed to develop more effective weight management methods. This population-based cross-sectional study examined whether eating self-efficacy (ESE) is associated with cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), emotional eating (EE), and binge eating (BE). The hypothesis was that individuals with low ESE have more unfavorable eating behavior tendencies than individuals with high ESE. Participants were classified as low ESE and high ESE by the Weight-Related Self-Efficacy questionnaire (WEL) median cut-off point. Eating behavior tendencies were assessed with Three Factor Eating Questionnaire R-18 and Binge Eating Scale, and additionally, by the number of difficulties in weight management. The difficulties were low CR, high UE, high EE, and moderate or severe BE. Five hundred and thirty-two volunteers with overweight and obesity were included in the study. Participants with low ESE had lower CR (p < 0.03) and higher UE, EE, and BE (p < 0.001) than participants with high ESE. Thirty-nine percent of men with low ESE had at least two difficulties in successful weight control while this percentage was only 8% in men with high ESE. In women, the corresponding figures were 56% and 10%. The risk of low ESE was increased by high UE [OR 5.37 (95% CI 1.99–14.51)], high EE [OR 6.05 (95% CI 2.07–17.66)], or moderate or severe BE [OR 12.31 (95% CI 1.52–99.84)] in men, and by low CR [OR 5.19 (95% CI 2.22–12.18)], high UE [OR 7.20 (95% CI 2.41–19.22)], or high EE [OR 23.66 (95% CI 4.79–116.77)] in women. Low ESE was associated with unfavorable eating behavior tendencies and multiple concomitant difficulties in successful weight loss promotion. These eating behavior tendencies should be considered when counseling patients with overweight and obesity.