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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health and Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1490634

The Big Five Personality Traits and Eating Habits among Female Students at Zayed University

Provisionally accepted
Sharifa Alblooshi Sharifa Alblooshi 1*Kawther Alsabbah Kawther Alsabbah 1Shatha Thani Shatha Thani 1Rafiq Hijazi Rafiq Hijazi 2Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri 3Falak Zeb Falak Zeb 4Leila Cheikh Ismail Leila Cheikh Ismail 4
  • 1 Department of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • 2 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 144534, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 3 United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 4 University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Adhering to healthy dietary habits is crucial for disease prevention and improving overall quality of life. Understanding how personality traits influence eating behaviors is essential for developing effective interventions aimed at promoting healthier eating habits. Personality traits are consistent behavioral patterns that individuals typically exhibit, and the Five-Factor Model (also known as the Big Five) is widely recognized as an effective framework for predicting personality traits. Methods: This study analyzed the relationship between personality traits and eating behaviors among 456 students using a cross-sectional design. Sociodemographic data and personality traits were assessed using an online questionnaire, while eating behaviors were evaluated with the validated Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Key aspects of eating behavior studied included cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and emotional eating. The findings provide insights into how personality characteristics may influence eating habits, offering potential implications for interventions targeting healthier eating behaviors. Results: The majority of participants scored highest on the personality trait of openness to experience. The study found that certain personality traits, particularly neuroticism and agreeableness, were linked to dietary habits. Specifically, personality traits were associated with emotional eating (p < 0.003), but not with cognitive restraint (p = 0.25) or disinhibition (p = 0.308). Participants with higher levels of agreeableness demonstrated significantly higher cognitive restraint (p = 0.041). Conclusions: Personality traits can influence eating habits, particularly emotional eating. However, further research is needed to identify individuals at risk for diet-related diseases and to determine the most effective intervention strategies. This study is the first of its kind conducted in the United Arab Emirates, contributing valuable insights into the relationship between personality traits and eating behaviors.

    Keywords: Extraversion, conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness, neuroticism, personality traits, Eating Habits, UAE students

    Received: 03 Sep 2024; Accepted: 24 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alblooshi, Alsabbah, Thani, Hijazi, Al Dhaheri, Zeb and Cheikh Ismail. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sharifa Alblooshi, Department of Health Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.