Effectiveness of Traditional Lifestyle Model on Eating Behavior ‎in Overweight Females (With Islamic-Iranian Approach)‎

Aims:

 With regard the role and importanc of lifestyle in modifying different behaviors and habits such as weight-related behaviors, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of traditional lifestyle model on eating behavior in overweight females (With Islamic-Iranian approach).

The present study is a semi-experimental research with a pre-test post-test design carried out in 2016. The statistical population consisted of all overweight female psychology students of Azad university of Karaj in 2017; 40 subjects were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group was treated in 10 sessions (Each session 90minutes) with a traditional lifestyle model related to weight. The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) was used; also, a structured clinical interview was used for axis I disorders and a structured clinical interview was used for personality disorders. The data were analyzed with covariance analysis test, using SPSS 24 software.

Findings: 

There was a significant difference between the scores of the experimental and control groups in eating behavior (F=43.691; effect size=0.541; p=0.0001), emotional eating (F=4.389; effect size=0.106; =p 0.043)), external eating (F=6.947; effect size=0.158; p=0.012), and inhibited eating (F=22.499; effect size=0.378; p=0.0001). Traditional lifestyle model significantly decreased eating behavior and its components.

The Iranian traditional lifestyle model with Islamic approach is effective in modifying eating behavior and its components (eating, emotional eating, and external eating), and traditional medicine, as a therapeutic approach along with new models, can balance eating behavior and its components in weight loss for overweight females.