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

Sara Al-Musharaf

doi:10.3390/nu12102923

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.

Highlights

Emotional eating (EE) is defined as the tendency to overeat as a coping mechanism for regulating and reducing negative emotions, such as depression, anxiety, and stress [1]
We found that EE is very common among young women during this pandemic, with almost one in two women identifying as emotional eaters
Apart from maladaptive eating, our study showed a high stress score was positively correlated with worse sleep and less sleep

Summary

Introduction

Emotional eating (EE) is defined as the tendency to overeat as a coping mechanism for regulating and reducing negative emotions, such as depression, anxiety, and stress [1]. People in a negative mood state who overeat tend to consume energy-dense, palatable foods that have mood-lifting qualities typically attributed to their high sugar content [4,5], and this may lead to a corresponding weight gain [6]. The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health problem. COVID-19 reached Saudi Arabia on 2 March 2020 [8]. Stringent public health measures, such as self-isolation and physical distancing, slowed the spread and momentarily controlled the viral outbreak in many parts of the world [9,10]. The Saudi government has Nutrients 2020, 12, 2923; doi:10.3390/nu12102923 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients

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