Dysfunctional Eating Patterns of Adults with ADHD - The International ADHD Congress 2021

Shirley Hershko ¹ Yehuda Pollak ¹ Anna Aronis ² Adina Maeir ³

¹The Seymour Fox School of Education, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
²The Institute of Biochemistry, Food and Nutrition, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
³The School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Recent studies have shown that individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have higher body mass index (BMI) and a higher prevalence of obesity than controls. The purpose of this study was to examine whether adult ADHD in students is associated with general overeating or with unhealthy food choices. Sixty university students with and without ADHD, aged 20-30, completed the food frequency questionnaire and reported their height and weight. We found that Students with ADHD had a higher BMI compared to students without ADHD. Although participants in both groups consumed similar amounts of servings, calories and nutrients, students with ADHD reported lower healthy/unhealthy food consumption ratio. In conclusion, ADHD in students was not associated with general overeating, but with a biased proportion of unhealthy versus healthy food consumption (eating a lower amount of healthy food and a higher amount of unhealthy food).