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Does emotional eating status affect food addiction of paramedics? A cross-sectional study

İrem Nur Akdeniz (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Türkiye)
Hasan Kaan Kavsara (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Türkiye and Graduate School of Health Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye, and)
Pınar Usta (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Türkiye)
Irem Kaya Cebioğlu (Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Türkiye)

Nutrition & Food Science

ISSN: 0034-6659

Article publication date: 5 April 2024

Issue publication date: 10 April 2024

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Abstract

Purpose

Paramedics are responsible for managing emergencies, caring for patients and performing life-saving procedures under heavy workloads, which can have a significant negative effect on their emotional eating and food addiction (FA) behaviors. Thus, this cross-sectional study aims to shed light on the relationship between emotional eating tendencies and FA in paramedics by considering their food preferences, sex, and body mass index (BMI) factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaire consisted of Yale Food Addiction Scale and Emotional Eating Questionnaire (EEQ), as well as sex, age, weight, height and number of snacks and main meals collected face-to-face from the 196 paramedics.

Findings

The FA prevalence was 14.9%, and more than half of the paramedics were emotional eaters. The total score of the EEQ was significantly higher in the FA diagnosed group than in the group FA not diagnosed (p < 0.001). The food preferences of the paramedics were found to differ significantly depending on whether they were diagnosed with FA or emotional eating. Being a food addict or emotional eater significantly increases the odds of consuming chocolate-wafer, pie-cake, chips, pastries, pasta and fries (p < 0.05), and participants with FA diagnosis and emotional eaters were more likely to prefer these foods than those with nondiagnosis and nonemotional eaters (p < 0.05).

Originality/value

Findings highlighted the connection between FA and the emotional eating behavior of paramedics, indicating that they attempt to compensate for their emotional ups and downs through eating. The job-related stress and emotional eating behaviors of paramedics may increase their BMI and susceptibility to FA.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: This study was conducted with no financial support.

Declaration of competing interest: The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Ethical statement: This study was approved by the Non-Interventional Ethical Board of Marmara University Faculty of Health Sciences. The authors declare that the protocols of the Declaration of Helsinki were followed for all experiments involving human subjects and that all procedures were carried out with the informed and signed written consent of the participants.

Author contributions: The first author participated in data collection and the design of the study. The second, third and fourth authors participated in the design, data analysis, literature review and interpretation of the findings and also drafted and revised the manuscript. All authors accept full responsibility for all aspects of the research.

Data availability: Data will be made available on request.

Citation

Akdeniz, İ.N., Kavsara, H.K., Usta, P. and Kaya Cebioglu, I. (2024), "Does emotional eating status affect food addiction of paramedics? A cross-sectional study", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 54 No. 3, pp. 637-649. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-11-2023-0270

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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