Prevalence and Predictors of Emotional Eating among Healthy Young Saudi Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Emotional eating (EE) is prevalent among women and is associated with obesity. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and mandatory quarantine increased the risk of mental symptoms and, inferentially, emotional eating (EE). We investigated the EE prevalence and predictors during this pandemic. Overall, 638 women, ages 18–39, completed an online survey incorporating the Emotional Eating Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. We asked about nutrition and collected data on weight, height, and pandemic responses. Most respondents (47.2%) reported low EE; 40.4% were “moderate” and 12.4% “high” emotional eaters; 42.8% reported depression, 27% anxiety, 71% moderate stress, and 12.5% severe stress. The main EE indicators/predictors were fat intake (β = 0.192, p = 0.004), number of meals (β = 0.187, p < 0.001), sugar consumption (β = 0.150, p < 0.001), body mass index (β = 0.149, p < 0.001), stress (β = 0.143, p = 0.004), energy intake (β = 0.134, p = 0.04), and fast food intake frequency (β = 0.111, p < 0.01). EE score correlated negatively with increased family income (β = −0.081, p = 0.049). Higher stress correlated with worse sleep, less sleep, and less physical activity. Emotional eating is common among young Saudi women during the pandemic. We recommend healthy food choices and increased physical activity to improve sleep and mitigate stress.

Effects of mobility restrictions on mental health among young adults in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study

“…We also found that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, women are more likely to show EE behaviors in comparison to men. In line with our results, recent evidence showed that EE occurs quite often among women 7 . Vulnerability of women to experience EE is not well understood, but it is probably related to hormonal changes due to the menstrual cycle.…”

“…Emotional eating is defined as the propensity to eat in response to positive or negative emotions 5,7 .…”

Influence of nutritional status on eating habits and food choice determinants among Brazilian women during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Emotional eating has been shown to be associated with multiple psychological symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and stress (Al-Musharaf, 2020). In the present study, we found positive associations between psychological symptoms and unhealthy eating habits, such as eating in front of TV, replacing main meals with snacks, and snacking, which are habits closely related to emotional eating.…”

Effects of mobility restrictions on mental health among young adults in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study

“…EE among women and men EE is de ned as the propensity to eat in response to positive or negative emotions (Devonport et al 2019;Al-Musharaf et al 2020). Stressful situations such lock-downs trigger stress and/or discomfort, which could prompt people to develop emotional attitudes when eating (Romeo-Arroyo et al 2020).…”

“…COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with considerable psychological distress in terms of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, among others, which on the other hand are known triggers of unhealthy eating behaviors and poor sleep quality (Ingrama et al 2020;Devonport et al 2020;Liu et al 2020). It has been observed that the frequency of unhealthy eating behaviors and altered sleeping patterns have increased during COVID-19 pandemic (Devonport et al 2020;Al-Musharaf. 2020;Villaseñor et al 2020).…”