Using a systematic questionnaire (Eating Disorder Questionnaire or EDQ) of our development, the eating behaviors of 117 obses patients with a variety of etiology were analyzed along with 601 cases of healthy control, so as to obtain an insight into the possible sociopsychological mechanisms. Calculation of the daily caloric intake was carried out over a consecutive 7-day period for 24 obese dianetics.The EDQ revealed that the patients counted the following behavioral reasons for their development of obesity : (1) overeating and (2) decreased physical exercise. Thus, an imbalance between the energy intake and its expenditure can be one of the major factors of the genesis of simple obesity.On analysis of the eating patterns, the following eating abnormalities were noted : (1) skipping meals ; (2) night eating ; (3) hasty eating ; (4) preference for and indulgence in sweets and noodles and (5) too frequent banquets.The following sociological peculiarities were also found responsible for developent of obesity among the adults : (1) businessmen working outside and (2) middle-aged house-wives. The fraction of patients whose obesity persisted from their childhood was as small as 16% in males and 15% in females. Thus, the probability of genetic contribution to the development of obesity can be relatively small. There seemed to be a general pathological trend of taking foods even in the absence of any appreciable hunger drive, or of tasty foods. They thus appeared to eat only because foods were then near at hand.It was concluded that there can be two major categories of factors favoring development of simple obesity : (1) a sociocultural factor of exceedingly easy accessibility to foods ; (2) psycho-behavioral problems that would encourage formation of irregular eating habits as well as abnormal lifestyle. The latter may probably be one of the compensatory expressions of anxiety state.
