Prevalence of negative emotional eating and its associated psychosocial factors among urban Chinese undergraduates in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Emotional eating (EE), defined as eating in response to a range of emotions, has been previously associated with poor diet and obesity. Since there are limited data from non-Western populations, this study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with EE among urban Chinese university students. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 424 university students (aged 18–24 years) from two large universities in Hong Kong in 2019. Respondents completed an anonymous online questionnaire that contained background questions, an emotional eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Two-sample independent t-test and multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the association of study variables with negative emotional eating. Results There was over a three-fold higher likelihood of negative EE among females (14.8%) when compared with their male counterparts (4.5%) (OR = 3.7, p < 0.05). Having at least mild depressive symptoms was the only independent factor associated with negative EE among males (OR = 10.1) while for females, negative EE was independently associated with not having a romantic partner (OR = 3.45), having depressive symptoms (OR = 44.5), and having at least mild stress (OR = 5.65). Anxiety levels were not independently associated with negative EE for either gender. Both male and female students with negative EE had significantly lower self-perceived health scores, higher body mass index, and lower life satisfaction scores. Conclusions This study revealed that negative EE is prevalent among female Chinese university students and not uncommon among male students. Management of negative EE should be included as a component of university mental health promotion programmes in the region.

Eating Behaviors, Depressive Symptoms and Lifestyle in University Students in Poland

“…In our study, the emotional eating score was strongly associated with depressive symptoms, which is in line with data from other authors, showing a relationship between EE and negative emotions and perceived stress [ 56 , 90 , 91 ]. In our sample, emotional eaters more often consumed sugar, sweets and snacks, consistent with previous reports [ 43 , 92 ].…”

“…In our sample, emotional eaters more often consumed sugar, sweets and snacks, consistent with previous reports [43,92]. Moreover, we confirmed previous results on the associations of emotional eating with higher BMI [56,79,80,82,83,89,90].…”

Body Mass and Emotional Eating: Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) in the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

“…In the present study, female respondents were found to be more prone to emotional eating, compared to males. This result is in compliance with other studies [48,58,59] which have indicated that women are especially susceptible to eating in response to negative emotions. The study of Péneau et al [48] highlighted that French adult women more likely engaged in emotional eating than men.…”

“…The study of Péneau et al [48] highlighted that French adult women more likely engaged in emotional eating than men. Similarly, the study by Sze et al [58], which was carried out among Chinese university students, revealed that women were characterized by about threefold higher likelihood of emotional eating than men. Additionally, in the study by Camilleri et al [59], which analyzed the association between emotional eating and intake of energy-dense snacks, such association was observed to be stronger in women with depressive symptoms, compared to men with depressive symptoms.…”

Interventions in Chinese Undergraduate Students’ Mental Health: Systematic Review

“…The interventions proposed in the included studies can be divided into two broad categories: social support and coping strategies. Social support was provided by government authorities [ 49 , 52 - 54 , 61 , 62 , 68 , 72 , 84 , 86 - 88 ]; university authorities [ 12 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 53 - 55 , 57 - 59 , 62 , 64 , 65 , 67 , 69 , 91 , 93 ]; students’ affairs counselors and teachers [ 54 , 75 , 83 - 85 , 87 , 93 ]; family members [ 52 , 54 , 57 , 83 , 94 ]; health care authorities and professionals [ 52 , 63 , 66 , 75 , 77 - 79 , 87 ]; researchers [ 70 , 85 ]; and media-, internet-, and smartphone-based interventions [ 26 , 53 , 55 , 56 , 60 , 71 , 73 , 75 , 77 , 80 , 81 ]. Positive coping strategies were adopted by undergraduate students themselves [ 52 , 82 , 83 , 85 , 86 ,…”