Prevalence of Emotional Eating and Its Association With Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index Among Medical Sciences Students in Sana’a, Yemen

Mohammed Alsebaeai¹, Adnan Al-kubati², Mohammed Alshahthi³, Asmaa Alazazi⁴, Ayat Al-Mojahed⁴, Boshra Al-Sabri⁴, Jehad Al-Ahnomi⁴, Noorhan Al Sharabi⁴, Raghad Al SuBear⁴, Rawan Alward⁴, Shahd Al-Ariqi⁴, Shaimaa Al-Hakami⁴, Walaa Al-Jumaai⁴

Keywords: Emotional eating, perceived stress, body mass index, medical sciences students, undergraduate students, Yemen

DOI: 10.63475/yjm.v5i1.0300

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.63475/yjm.v5i1.0300

Publish Date: 29-04-2026

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Pages: 144 - 152

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Author Affiliation:

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, Ibb University, Ibb, Yemen
2 Professor, Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen
3 Master of Science (MSc), Community Health Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al-Nasser University, Sana’a, Yemen
4 Nutrition Specialists, Therapeutic Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al-Nasser University, Sana’a, Yemen

Abstract

Background: Emotional eating is a stress-related behavior among university students, yet evidence from low-resource settings remains limited. To assess the prevalence of emotional eating and its association with perceived stress and body mass index (BMI) among undergraduate medical sciences students.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 371 students at Al-Nasser University, Sana’a, Yemen, during 2025 to 2026. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, BMI, the Emotional Eating Scale (EES), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests to examine associations between variables.

Results: Emotional eating was prevalent in 53.1% of students (48.5% emotional, 4.6% very emotional). Moderate and high stress were reported by 62.8% and 25.1%, respectively. Emotional eating was significantly associated with perceived stress (P < 0.05), but not with BMI (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Emotional eating is common and mainly linked to psychological stress rather than BMI among medical sciences undergraduates.

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