Many people eat when they are stressed, reach for snacks simply because food is in sight, or swing between strict dieting and overeating. These habits are closely tied to weight gain and obesity, yet measuring them reliably can be difficult. A new study has produced a Turkish version of a short questionnaire designed to capture them.
Researchers at Süleyman Demirel University, Ordu University and Trakya University adapted the Weight-Related Eating Questionnaire for young adults in Türkiye. The findings appear in BMC Psychology. The team tested it with 301 people aged 19 to 35, recruited in the cities of Isparta, Ordu and Edirne between February and June 2025.
The questionnaire has 16 items covering four eating behaviours. Routine restraint means deliberately limiting what one eats as a regular habit, while compensatory restraint means cutting back after overeating. Susceptibility to external cues describes eating in response to the sight, smell or availability of food, and emotional eating means eating in response to feelings such as stress, sadness or boredom.
The translation followed international guidelines, and participants filled in the questionnaire in person so that any unclear wording could be explained. Most were women, the average age was just under 21, and the average body mass index was in the healthy range.
An initial analysis suggested the Turkish answers grouped into three areas, with the two kinds of restraint merging into one. When the team tested the original four part structure directly, however, it fitted the data better. The questionnaire worked in broadly similar ways for men and women.
Scores matched up well with two longer, established eating questionnaires, showing that the new version measures what it is meant to. Reliability was strong for the scale as a whole and acceptable to excellent for each section, and scores stayed consistent when participants completed it a second time. Higher body mass index was slightly linked with most eating behaviours.
The findings matter because a short, reliable questionnaire makes it easier for dietitians, doctors and researchers in Türkiye to identify unhelpful eating patterns. That could help them tailor advice on weight management, for example by focusing on stress for emotional eaters or on the home environment for those swayed by food cues.
The study has limits. Participants were found through personal networks rather than at random, and most were young women, so the results may not apply equally to men or older adults. The data also came from self reports, which can be affected by how people wish to present themselves.
Obesity rates have risen sharply in Türkiye, as in much of the world, and eating habits often take shape in early adulthood. This study gives Turkish health professionals a quick and tested way to understand how young people eat, and why.
