School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry, UK.
Department of Dietetics, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023 Oct;36(5):1922-1930. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13176. Epub 2023 Apr 19.
Emotional eating (EE) is a disordered eating behaviour which may lead to overeating. It is not clear whether EE presents to an equal degree among adults, regardless of their body mass index (BMI) status. The aim of this study was to assess whether there is a difference in degree of EE between adults with healthy weight, overweight and obesity.
MEDLINE and APA PsycINFO databases were searched from inception up to January 2022 for studies that reported EE scores from validated questionnaires. The quality of all included studies was assessed using the AXIS tool. Meta-analysis used random effects and standardised mean difference (SMD). Heterogeneity was investigated using I statistics and sensitivity analyses.
A total of 11 studies with 7207 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Degree of EE was greater in adults with a BMI above the healthy range, compared to adults with a healthy BMI (SMD 0.31, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.45; I = 85%). However, subgroup analysis found that degree of EE was greater only in adults with obesity (SMD 0.61, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.81; I = 62%), and there was no difference in degree of EE between adults with overweight and those with a healthy BMI.
Degree of EE is greater among adults living with obesity, compared to adults with a healthy BMI, indicating a need for behavioural support to support EE among people living with obesity seeking weight management. Future research should examine the long-term effectiveness of interventions for EE.
情绪性进食（EE）是一种饮食失调行为，可能导致暴饮暴食。目前尚不清楚 EE 在成年人中的表现程度是否相同，无论其体重指数（BMI）状况如何。本研究旨在评估体重正常、超重和肥胖成年人之间 EE 程度是否存在差异。
从 MEDLINE 和 APA PsycINFO 数据库中检索了截至 2022 年 1 月发表的报告经验证问卷得出的 EE 评分的研究。使用 AXIS 工具评估所有纳入研究的质量。采用随机效应和标准化均数差（SMD）进行荟萃分析。使用 I 统计量和敏感性分析来研究异质性。
共有 11 项研究纳入了 7207 名参与者进行荟萃分析。与 BMI 正常的成年人相比，BMI 超过正常范围的成年人的 EE 程度更大（SMD 0.31，95%CI 0.17 至 0.45；I²=85%）。然而，亚组分析发现，EE 程度仅在肥胖成年人中更大（SMD 0.61，95%CI 0.41 至 0.81；I²=62%），超重成年人与 BMI 正常成年人之间的 EE 程度没有差异。
与 BMI 正常的成年人相比，肥胖成年人的 EE 程度更大，这表明肥胖人群在寻求体重管理时需要行为支持来支持 EE。未来的研究应检查针对 EE 的干预措施的长期效果。
