Exploring Saudi Adolescents’ Perceptions of Emotional Eating with the Purpose of Informing the Design of an Online Health Awareness Programme

Abstract

Abstract This study explores emotional eating (EE) among adolescent students in Saudi Arabia, which is defined as a change in food consumption in response to emotional triggers (Economy, 2013). Additionally, the study sets out to contribute to raising awareness about the prevalence of emotional eating among Saudi Arabian adolescents and to use this information to inform the design of an online health awareness programme that supports healthy eating and healthy behaviour for this population, the first study to do so for this population. Data were collected using a questionnaire and one-to-one semi-structured interviews. A total of 304 male and female adolescents (ages 12-15) completed the questionnaire, while 12 female students, who showed a high level of emotional eating, engaged in a one-to-one interview. The questionnaire data revealed there was a wide range of levels of emotional eating between individuals, with the males showing a lower level than the females. A variety of emotions were reported to affect eating, including boredom, anxiety and sadness, but positive emotions as well, notably happiness and comfort. The obese students reported a higher level of emotional eating than the others. The sociocultural environment of Saudi Arabia appeared to contribute to the students’ eating behaviour, mainly in respect of positive emotions, for example, during meetings with friends and relatives, weekend holidays, social and religious events, and fasting days. There was a high association of food with social occasions and festivals. Recommendations are made for the treatment for emotional eating, including mindfulness in eating, because it helps to moderate emotional eating as well as raising self-compassion. This study’s results aimed to inform the design of an online health awareness programme based on various suggestions from the female students in the light of existing literature, who provided essential inputs regarding the social networking apps, functions, features, and overall design of such a programme.