Prevalence of Emotional Eating and Its Relationship with Anthropometric and Biochemical Indicators in University Students.

Emotional eating was prevalent in the majority of first-year university students studied, with only one-third classified as non-emotional eaters.

• Study included 670 first-year university students from the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ) participating in the SU SALUD-UAQ clinical evaluation.
• Prevalence of emotional eating categories: non-emotional (33.5%), low emotional (31.1%), emotional (27.6%), and highly emotional (7.8%).
• Over 35% of students were classified as emotional or highly emotional eaters.
• Emotional eating was assessed using the 10-item Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ).
• Study design was cross-sectional.

Higher EEQ scores were independently associated with greater BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference in both sexes.

• Associations were evaluated using multivariable linear and logistic regression models.
• Models were adjusted for sex, age, physical activity level, sleep duration, stress, and socioeconomic status.
• The association between emotional eating and anthropometric indicators held for both male and female students.
• Anthropometric measures included BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference obtained through standardized clinical procedures.

In women, emotional eating was independently associated with less favorable lipid profiles.

• Biochemical markers assessed included triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and glucose.
• The association between emotional eating and lipid profiles was observed specifically in women, not reported as significant in men.
• Associations were adjusted for sex, age, physical activity level, sleep duration, stress, and socioeconomic status.
• Biochemical markers were obtained through standardized clinical procedures.

Students classified as emotional or highly emotional eaters showed higher odds of general and abdominal obesity, particularly among women.

• General obesity was assessed via BMI and abdominal obesity via waist circumference.
• Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds of obesity outcomes.
• The elevated odds of both general and abdominal obesity were particularly pronounced among women.
• Models were adjusted for sex, age, physical activity level, sleep duration, stress, and socioeconomic status.

University students were identified as particularly vulnerable to emotional eating due to academic stress, lifestyle changes, and a food environment dominated by highly palatable options.

• The study focused on first-year university students, a population undergoing significant lifestyle transitions.
• Emotional eating is described as a behavioral pattern in which individuals increase food intake in response to emotional states rather than physiological hunger.
• Evidence in Mexican university populations was noted as previously limited.
• Academic stress was highlighted as a key contributing factor in this population.

The authors recommend integrating emotional regulation strategies into university health programs as part of comprehensive health promotion approaches.

• The recommendation targets emotional eating and its associated anthropometric and metabolic correlates in young adults.
• The authors frame emotional eating as a relevant target for university-level intervention.
• Findings were noted to highlight the relevance of addressing both behavioral and metabolic health in university settings.