Emotional eating and body mass index among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Emotional eating, defined as eating in response to psychological distress or negative emotions rather than physiological hunger, has been associated with higher body weight and less healthy eating patterns. Although international studies have examined associations between emotional eating, body mass index (BMI), and sociodemographic characteristics, evidence from Saudi Arabia remains limited mainly to specific subgroups, such as university students and women. Studies examining self-regulatory eating behavior in Arab populations are also limited. To examine emotional eating and its associations with BMI and sociodemographic characteristics among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to explore its relationship with self-reported self-regulatory eating behavior. This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 290 Saudi adults aged 18–65 years residing in Riyadh. Emotional eating was assessed using the Emotional Eater Questionnaire, and self-regulatory eating behavior was assessed exploratorily using the Self-Regulation of Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Analyses included nonparametric group comparisons, Spearman correlation analysis, and a multivariable general linear model with HC3 heteroscedasticity-robust standard errors. Emotional-eating scores were higher among females than males (median [IQR]: 11 [9–15] vs. 9 [6–12.5]; p < 0.001) and among participants aged 18–45 years than among those aged 46–65 years (11 [8–15] vs. 9 [6–12]; p < 0.001). Differences across education and income categories were small and not robust to Bonferroni adjustment. Emotional-eating score correlated positively with BMI (Spearman’s ρ = 0.230; p < 0.001), and the obesity group scored higher than all other BMI groups after adjustment for multiple comparisons. In the adjusted model, overweight, obesity, female sex, and age 18–45 years were independently associated with higher emotional-eating scores; the SREBQ showed no significant association. Overweight, obesity, female sex, and age 18–45 years were independently associated with higher emotional-eating scores in this convenience sample of Riyadh adults. The associations were modest, and the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference. The exploratory SREBQ findings were limited by poor scale reliability.