Beyond emotion: online takeaway food consumption is associated with emotional overeating among Chinese college students.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Online takeaway food has become very popular in China. However, the potential effects of online takeaway food consumption on eating behaviours among individuals during the transition stage from adolescence to young adulthood have not yet been assessed. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of takeaway food consumption on emotional overeating behaviour among college students. METHODS: Data were collected from 1450 college students from six universities in Anhui, China. The frequency of emotional overeating during the past 4 weeks was assessed by the emotional overeating questionnaire (EOQ). Data on the frequency of online takeaway food consumption and other potential risk factors at the individual, interpersonal, physical environment, and macro-system levels were assessed by questionnaire. Multilevel linear regression analyses were employed to explore the association between takeaway food consumption and emotional overeating behaviour. RESULTS: Compared to those who consumed online takeaway food less than 1 day per week, participants who consumed this food 4-5 days per week and participants who consumed this food 6-7 days per week had significantly higher EOQ scores (ß = 0.14, p < 0.05 and ß = 0.67, p < 0.001, respectively). More frequent consumption was associated with higher EOQ scores (p for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A higher frequency of takeaway food consumption was associated with an elevated risk of emotional overeating among college students independent of personal emotional status and other potential confounders at the interpersonal, physical environmental and macro-system levels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level V; cross-sectional descriptive study.