ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health and Nutrition
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1564656
This article is part of the Research TopicFrom Adolescence to Adulthood: The Role of Diet in Preventing Metabolic and Mental Health DisordersView all articles
Do Mental Well-Being and Emotional Eating Influence BMI Similarly or Differently? Evidence from a Sample of Peruvian Adolescents Authors
Provisionally accepted
- 1Peruvian Union University, Lima, Peru
- 2Faculty of Health Sciences, Lord of Sipan University, Chiclayo, Peru
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Background. The literature highlights that both mental well-being and emotional eating are closely related to BMI, but little is known about how these variables interact similarly or differently. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the predictive role of mental well-being and emotional eating on body mass index (BMI) in Peruvian adolescents. Method. This research used a non-experimental and predictive design. The sample consisted of 270 students aged 12 to 18 years from a public educational institution in the province of Tocache, Peru. The sample was selected through non-probability purposive sampling. The study employed the Mental Health Inventory (R-MHI-5), the Emotional Eating Scale (EES), and BMI was calculated using Quetelet’s formula. Results. Correlations revealed that mental well-being was negatively associated with BMI (r = −0.277, p < .001, 95% CI = [-0.384, -0.163]), whereas emotional eating was positively associated with BMI (r = 0.274, p < .001, 95% CI = [0.160, 0.381]). In the multiple regression analysis, Model 2 emerged as the most suitable (adjusted R² = 0.112, F = 17.953, p < .001, BIC = 1318), explaining 11.2% of the variance in BMI. Standardized coefficients indicated that mental well-being had a significant negative effect on BMI (β = -0.217, 95% CI = [-0.3353, -0.0997], p < .001), while emotional eating had a significant positive effect (β = 0.213, 95% CI = [0.0952, 0.3308], p < .001). Moreover, both coefficients showed similar magnitudes. Conclusions: The findings of this study confirm that mental well-being and emotional eating exert opposing yet similarly sized influences on BMI in Peruvian adolescents. These results underscore the importance of addressing both variables equitably in interventions aimed at improving adolescents' nutritional status.
Keywords: Mental well-being, Mental Health, emotional eating, BMI, adolescents
Received: 21 Jan 2025; Accepted: 24 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Caleb-Cuyan, Javier-Aliaga, Rodríguez Vásquez and Saintila. 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: David Javier-Aliaga, Peruvian Union University, Lima, Peru
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