EMOTIONAL EATING, EMOTIONAL FOOD CHOICE, AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Nur Shafiqah Azlan, Asma’ Ali, Noor Salihah Zakaria, Wan Hafiz Wan Zainal Sukri, Mohamad Rahijan Abdul Wahab and Lee Yi Chen

Abstract

Abstract
Emotional eating is characterized by changes in food intake patterns in response to
negative emotional states and is associated with high prevalence rates of obesity and
mental health disorders among university students. Despite its potential impact, there
is limited research on emotional eating and food choices among Malaysian university
students. This study aimed to assess differences in sociodemographic variables and
emotional eating behaviours among students from Malaysian public universities. A
cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire
(n=400). The questionnaire comprised three sections: (1) sociodemographic profile,
(2) emotional eating behaviours, and (3) emotional food choice. Data were analysed
using SPSS version 27, with descriptive statistics computed to summarize the data.
Results indicated that 57.75% of students reported lower emotional eating tendencies.
Most students reported decreased food consumption during negative emotional
states and a preference for savoury and sweet foods in both positive and negative
emotions. Significant differences in emotional eating behaviours were found between
household income (p=0.003) and education level (p=0.049). In conclusion, this study
highlights the association between sociodemographic factors and emotional eating
among Malaysian university students. Future research should focus on developing
targeted intervention programs to improve students' ability to regulate emotions and
food intake.
Keywords: Emotional eating, Emotional food choice, Associated factors, University
students, Malaysia