A nationwide survey of weight control practices among middle-aged New Zealand women.

Aim: To examine the prevalence of weight control practices in a nationwide representative sample of 40-50 year old New Zealand women.

Methods: In May 2009, a cross-sectional mail survey was conducted among 2500 women randomly selected from nationwide electoral rolls who were each mailed a self-administered questionnaire about their weight control practices, demographics and anthropometry.

Results: After excluding ineligible recipients, a 66% participation rate was achieved (n=1601).

Self-determined, autonomous regulation of eating behavior is related to lower body mass index in a nationwide survey of middle-aged women.

Background: The associations among people's level of autonomy in regulating their eating behaviors, food patterns, and degree of obesity have not been investigated in a general adult population.

Objectives: Our objectives were to cross-sectionally examine, in a nationally representative sample of adult New Zealand women, the associations between different styles of eating behavior regulation and body mass index (BMI), with specific food and eating habits as hypothesized mediators.

Design: During May 2009, a sample of 2,500 New Zealand women aged 40 to 50 years was randomly selected from the nationwide electoral rolls.

Eating in response to hunger and satiety signals is related to BMI in a nationwide sample of 1601 mid-age New Zealand women.

Objective: To examine the association between eating in response to hunger and satiety signals (intuitive eating) and BMI. A second objective was to determine whether the hypothesized higher BMI in less intuitive eaters could be explained by the intake of specific foods, speed of eating or binge eating.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Faster self-reported speed of eating is related to higher body mass index in a nationwide survey of middle-aged women.

This study is the first nationwide population survey to explore the association between speed of eating and degree of obesity. The objective was to cross-sectionally examine the relationship between self-reported speed of eating and body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m(2)) in a nationally representative sample of New Zealand women. In May 2009, a sample of 2,500 New Zealand women aged 40 to 50 years was randomly selected from the nationwide electoral rolls.