Background: The objectives were to evaluate Korean Eating Attitude Test-26 (KEAT-26) score in obese patients and the change of eating attitude with weight reduction management.
Methods: Eating attitude (self-control of eating, bulimic symptoms, preoccupation with being thinner, food preoccupation, and dieting, and avoidance of sweet foods) were assessed in 92 obese patients (15 males, 77 females) with BMI 29.2 ± 3.7 kg/m2 visited to the outpatient department of Family medicine (FM, n = 40) or obesity clinic (OC, 28 first visitors and 24 re-visitors). KEAT-26 was re-administered in 27 obese patients treated for weight reduction (16 first visitors of OC, 11 re-visitors of OC).
Results: Obese patients visited to OC showed higher KEAT-26 scores (38.1 ± 9.5 in first visitors, 43.6 ± 9.6 in re-visitors) compared with obese patients visited to FM (31.8 ± 9.7, P < 0.01). The scores of 'self-control of eating and bulimic symptoms', 'preoccupation with being thinner', and 'dieting' were significantly higher in female patients visited to OC than in those visited to FM (P < 0.05). There were no significant relationships of KEAT-26 scores with patient's BMI, body dissatisfaction, and demographic characteristics. The KEAT-26 scores in follow-up of first visitors increased significantly (P < 0.05), while there was no significant change of KEAT-26 scores in re-visitors. In those patients, there were significant relationships of KEAT-26 change with baseline KEAT-26 score and BMI change over the same interval (Spearman correlation coefficients 0.66 and -0.39, respectively, P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The KEAT-26 scores in obese patients were higher compared with previously reported scores in normal healthy adults and females with eating disorder. In obese patients visited for weight reduction, weight change was associated with the change of eating attitude.

Keywords: Korean Eating Attitude Test-26, obese patients, body mass index