Abstract
Introduction: Eating behavior is influenced by sociocultural, psychological, and emotional factors, which can lead to emotional eating, in which emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and stress direct food choices, generally towards high-calorie and low-nutrient foods. This pattern can result in weight gain, chronic diseases, and mental disorders. University students, especially medical students, are more vulnerable due to academic workload and psychosocial pressures. Objective: It was to evaluate the prevalence and implications of emotional eating in medical students in Northwest São Paulo. Methods: Observational, analytical, and crosssectional, quantitative study, conducted between 2023 and 2025, with 258 students recruited by randomized convenience sampling. The Emotional Eating Questionnaire (EEQ), validated for Portuguese, was used and applied digitally. The research followed the STROBE checklist, adopted triple blinding, and strategies to minimize biases. Statistical analysis, performed using RStudio 4.3.1, included normality tests (Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov), skewness, kurtosis, and Welch's t-test for comparison between sexes, with p<0.05 and 95% CI obtained by traditional and bootstrap BC methods (1000 replications). Results: The overall mean score was 13.42 (SD=6.09; median=13.0; range 0–30). Women presented significantly higher means (mean=14.91; SD=5.37) than men (mean=10.28; SD=5.86), p<0.001, with a large effect size (d=0.81). The 95% CI of the difference (4.28 to 8.33) confirmed clinical relevance, and the graphical analysis showed a higher female concentration in the categories "emotional eater" and "very emotional eater. There was a significant difference between the sexes, with a higher prevalence in the female group, corroborating previous studies. This disparity may be related to emotional and sociocultural factors, such as aesthetic pressure and greater expression of feelings, while men tend towards emotional avoidance and less seeking of diagnosis. The academic medical environment, with its high demands and frequent compromise of mental health, seems to intensify emotional eating as a coping strategy. Conclusion: Emotional eating proved to be highly prevalent among medical students, especially women. Academic stress and emotional vulnerabilities can potentiate this behavior, reinforcing the need for preventive interventions, psychological support, and the promotion of healthy habits to prevent eating disorders and improve quality of life.