Cited by 195Eating Disorders and BehaviorsNutrition, Health and Food BehaviorObesity, Physical Activity, Diet

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

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Al-Musharaf, Sara·2020·Nutrients

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.

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  • In Al-Musharaf (2020) sample of 638 participants, moderate to high emotional eating was reported by 52.8%.

    “Moderate to high levels of EE were described by 52.8% of the sample.”

    From Eating Disorders Spectrum During the COVID Pandemic: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as Al-Musharaf (2020)

  • Al-Musharaf (2020) authors concluded that emotional eating was an attempt to manage negative emotions during the stressful circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The authors concluded that EE made an attempt to manage negative emotions during the stressful circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    From Eating Disorders Spectrum During the COVID Pandemic: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as Al-Musharaf (2020)

  • In Al-Musharaf (2020) sample, highly perceived stress, BMI, fat intake, number of meals per day, sugary food consumption, and frequent fast food intake were positively correlated with emotional eating scores.

    “Highly perceived stress, body mass index (BMI), fat intake, the number of meals per day, sugary food consumption, and frequent fast food intake are positively correlated with the EE scores.”

    From Eating Disorders Spectrum During the COVID Pandemic: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as Al-Musharaf (2020)

  • In Al-Musharaf (2020) sample, 42% reported depressive symptoms, 27.0% high anxiety, and 12.5% severe stress.

    “Moreover, 42% of the interviewed subjects reported depressive symptoms, together with high levels of anxiety (27.0%), and severe stress (12.5%).”

    From Eating Disorders Spectrum During the COVID Pandemic: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as Al-Musharaf (2020)

  • Changes in emotion regulation had an impact on emotional eating.

    “Changes in emotion regulation had also an impact on EE (Al-Musharaf, 2020; Elmacıoğlu et al., 2021).”

    From Eating Disorders Spectrum During the COVID Pandemic: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as Al-Musharaf, 2020

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  1. [48]Rabie M.A. Abo-El-Ezz N.F. El-din M. Anxiety and social anxiety symptoms among overweight females seeking treatment for obesity Curr. Psychiatry Rep. 2010 17 13 20 10.1186/s40337-019-0270-2 · DOI

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Authors
Al-Musharaf, S.
Affiliations
King Saud University (SA)
Corresponding author
Al-Musharaf, Sara
Venue
Nutrients
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-09-24
Volume
12
Issue
10
Pages
2923
ISSN
2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3088823432
Cited by
195
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 47 · 2018: 1
FWCI
13.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Keywords
emotional eating, COVID-19 pandemic, young women, Saudi Arabia, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, physical activity, dietary intake, body mass index, obesity risk, household income, quarantine
MeSH terms
Diet, Healthy, Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Diet Surveys, Eating, Emotions, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Pneumonia, Viral, Quarantine, Risk Factors, Saudi Arabia, Stress, Psychological, Prevalence, Coronavirus Infections, Young Adult, Pandemics

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