Masheb Robin M, Kutz Amanda M, Marsh Alison G, Min Kathryn M, Ruser Christopher B, Dorflinger Lindsey M
The Veterans Initiative for Eating and Weight/11ACSLG, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
Eat Weight Disord. 2019 Dec;24(6):1063-1070. doi: 10.1007/s40519-019-00766-w. Epub 2019 Aug 30.
"Making weight" behaviors are unhealthy weight control strategies intended to reduce weight in an effort to meet weight requirements. This study aimed to examine a brief measure of making weight and to investigate the relationship between making weight and weight, binge eating, and eating pathology later in life.
Participants were veterans [N = 120, mean age 61.7, mean body mass index (BMI) 38.0, 89.2% male, 74.2% Caucasian] who were overweight/obese and seeking weight management treatment. Participants completed the making weight inventory (MWI), a measure of making weight behaviors engaged in during military service, and validated measures of eating behavior. Analyses compared participants who engaged in at least one making weight behavior (MWI+) versus those who did not (MWI-).
The MWI had good internal consistency. One-third of participants were MWI+ and two-thirds were MWI-. The most frequently reported behavior was excessive exercise, reported in one-quarter of the sample, followed by fasting/skipping meals, sauna/rubber suit, laxatives, diuretics, and vomiting. MWI+ participants were significantly more likely to be in a younger cohort of veterans, to be an ethnic/racial minority, and to engage in current maladaptive eating behaviors, including binge eating, vomiting, emotional eating, food addiction, and night eating, compared to the MWI- group. Groups did not differ on BMI.
One-third of veterans who were overweight/obese screened positive for engaging in making weight behaviors during military service. Findings provide evidence that efforts to "make weight" are related to binge eating and eating pathology later in life. Future research and clinical efforts should address how to best eliminate unhealthy weight control strategies in military service while also supporting healthy weight management efforts.
“减重”行为是旨在减轻体重以达到体重要求的不健康体重控制策略。本研究旨在检验一种简短的减重测量方法，并调查减重与体重、暴饮暴食及晚年饮食病理学之间的关系。
参与者为寻求体重管理治疗的超重/肥胖退伍军人（N = 120，平均年龄61.7岁，平均体重指数[BMI] 38.0，89.2%为男性，74.2%为白种人）。参与者完成了减重量表（MWI），该量表用于测量服役期间的减重行为，以及经过验证的饮食行为测量量表。分析比较了至少参与一种减重行为的参与者（MWI+）与未参与的参与者（MWI-）。
MWI具有良好的内部一致性。三分之一的参与者为MWI+，三分之二为MWI-。最常报告的行为是过度运动，四分之一的样本报告有此行为，其次是禁食/不吃饭、蒸桑拿/穿橡胶服、服用泻药、利尿剂和催吐。与MWI-组相比，MWI+参与者更有可能是较年轻的退伍军人队列、少数族裔/种族，并且目前会出现适应不良的饮食行为，包括暴饮暴食、催吐、情绪化进食、食物成瘾和夜间进食。两组在BMI上没有差异。
三分之一超重/肥胖的退伍军人在服役期间参与减重行为的筛查呈阳性。研究结果提供了证据，表明“减重”努力与晚年的暴饮暴食和饮食病理学有关。未来的研究和临床工作应解决如何在服役期间最好地消除不健康的体重控制策略，同时支持健康的体重管理努力。
