Emotional eating among adults with healthy weight, overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

BackgroundEmotional eating (EE) is a disordered eating behaviour which may lead to overeating. It is not clear whether EE presents to an equal degree among adults, regardless of their body mass index (BMI) status. The aim of this study was to assess whether there is a difference in degree of EE between adults with healthy weight, overweight and obesity.MethodsMEDLINE and APA PsycINFO databases were searched from inception up to January 2022 for studies that reported EE scores from validated questionnaires. The quality of all included studies was assessed using the AXIS tool. Meta‐analysis used random effects and standardised mean difference (SMD). Heterogeneity was investigated using I2 statistics and sensitivity analyses.ResultsA total of 11 studies with 7207 participants were included in the meta‐analysis. Degree of EE was greater in adults with a BMI above the healthy range, compared to adults with a healthy BMI (SMD 0.31, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.45; I2 = 85%). However, subgroup analysis found that degree of EE was greater only in adults with obesity (SMD 0.61, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.81; I2 = 62%), and there was no difference in degree of EE between adults with overweight and those with a healthy BMI.ConclusionsDegree of EE is greater among adults living with obesity, compared to adults with a healthy BMI, indicating a need for behavioural support to support EE among people living with obesity seeking weight management. Future research should examine the long‐term effectiveness of interventions for EE.

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“…Tendency to overeat has a genetic basis and is typically characterised as either general disinhibited overeating or emotional-based overeating. Both are associated with risk of higher BMI across multiple previously published meta-analyses and effect sizes are medium in size [17,18]. For instance, the pooled association between disinhibited overeating and BMI is r = 0.28 (~OR = 2.88 [95% CI: 2.02-4.44] ~RR = 1.49 [95% CI: 1.34-1.63).…”

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Salzburg Emotional Eating Scale: A Psychometric Study

“…Recent research has identi ed elevated levels of emotional eating among individuals with obesity (22) and those with binge-eating syndrome (23). Factors contributing to emotional eating include the association of nutritional needs with emotional states, differences in hunger perception, escapism from negative situations, and loss of control due to dietary restrictions (6).…”